for breaking news visit www.qns.com NOVEMBER 3, 2016 • buzz • The QUENS CourieR 75 Victoria’s Secrets It was a few years ago that I got to meet Gina Argento, president of Broadway Stages, at her office in Greenpoint and I immediately understood her specialness. Last week, Futures in Education honored her at a sold-out, recordbreaking fundraiser at the Waldorf Astoria to benefit scholarships for children in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. Well deserved! She is a beautiful person on the outside and inside, born of immigrant parents who spoke no English, yet she is living the American dream of her parents. I’m her big fan because I love a person who balances family and career. She lives in Astoria, next door to her mom, with her devoted, brilliant husband John Ciafone and their three children, while also running an extraordinarily successful business, Broadway Stages, that offers studio space for TV and movie production. And she actively gets involved with and generously supports many community organizations, nonprofit groups and local businesses. When we first met at her Greenpoint studios, she showed me the booklet she was creating in full color for her “tenants” (the movie studio employees) with pictures and profiles of the businesses in the neighborhood so they would know where to find delis, caterers, dry cleaners, restaurants and more, basically to support businesses within a few blocks of where they are working – her Broadway Stages! With her parents working two jobs, they sent her to Catholic schools her entire life and she received her master’s degree from St. John’s University. At the impressive gala honoring her achievements, she shared with the audience her belief that “I persevered and obtained an education that nurtured my faith in God, which ultimately enabled me to get to where I am today,” and has she come a long way! Gina Argento a Star While still in school, she worked with her brother Anthony to help him fulfill “his dream” of creating a full film and television production company. Today, the company has studios in Queens and Brooklyn and plans to turn the closed Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island into a film studio. Popular shows such as “Third Watch,” “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods,” “Mr. Robot,” “Madame Secretary,” Marvel Comics TV shows and many more have filmed at Broadway Stages! Besides providing endless jobs, Gina and her brother have put into action their belief that “as a corporate entity, we must invest in children and schools in all the city because educational programs enrich the lives of children – our future.” She shared this philosophy with the attentive audience brought together by the indomitable, stunningly successful development leader of Futures in Education Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello. When I was recently honored by the Ridgewood YMCA, I saw a powerful video and photographs of kids who benefit from coming to the Y. When I commented on its quality, the Y offered that the funds for the project came from Gina and Tony Argento. I wasn’t surprised because they quietly make a difference every day with their activism and generosity. I love that they recently created a rooftop garden and Brooklyn’s first Audubon Roof Bird and Butterfly garden to educate children about nature that probably came out of her involvement with the Queens Botanical Gardens, where Broadway Stages sponsors after-school programs and summer interns. With the holiday season coming, they and their staff will again sponsor a Halloween party for kids, deliver food to the hungry for Thanksgiving and collect toys with the local police precincts for Christmas. Neighborhood after neighborhood has benefited thanks to her philosophy that “our neighborhoods are only as good as the schools and children in them,” as she said at the dinner honoring her. How fortunate I feel to have Gina as a friend and role model for all of us. How great a country we are that through hard work and education, the dream of her Italianspeaking parents for their children to have a better life has come true! Dynamic $1500 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION THE INVISIBLE WAY TO SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY STRAIGHTEN TEETH Third Generation Dentist 175-15 Jamaica avenue, Jamaica 718-297-4100 • 718-297-4106 Victoria SCHNEPS-YUNIS vschneps@gmail.com tweet me @vschneps The Argento family, staff and friends Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, Honoree Gina Argento and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio Gina Argento with her husbnad John Ciafone Broadway Stages partner and brother Tony Argento, with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, Gina Argento, and Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello
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