FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 53
Victoria’s
SECRETS
Victoria
SCHNEPSYUNIS
vschneps@schnepsmedia.com
When my son Josh and
I bought Dan’s Papers
nearly a year ago, I
had no idea what fun I’d have
meeting so many extraordinary
people and this weekend was the
best of all!
It started Th ursday evening,
when I had dinner with dearest
city friends Denise Arbesu
(senior vice president of Citi
Commercial Bank and former
chair of the Brooklyn Chamber
of Commerce) and her husband
Peter Meyer (market president
of TD Bank, now reassigned
to central Florida from having
built the bank in New York
City).
I’ve missed them and I delightedly
accepted their invitation to
dinner at their country club,
where Peter is an avid golfer.
Aft er all, more business gets
done on the golf course than in
any offi ce!
Joining us at the table was
Brooklyn native Michael
Tadross — I like to think
the best people were born in
Brooklyn — who is an executive
producer working Paramount
and Kaufman Astoria Studios.
He’s had some extraordinary
success producing hit fi lms such
as “Indecent Proposal,” “Die
Hard” and “Forrest Gump,” and
working frequently with actor
Will Smith.
It was also sweet to fi nd out
he is a good friend of my good
friend “Judge” Judy Sheindlin.
We could have talked all
night and I enjoyed meeting his
very talented wife Dr. Georgia
Witkin, who works at Mt. Sinai
Hospital as an expert and clinical
psychologist on infertility.
She’s brought joy to so many
families and it was my joy to
meet her.
Denise’s sister Christiane
Arbesu is president of
Terrebonne Productions and
an award-winning fi lmmaker.
She was also an honoree at Dan’s
Papers OUT East End Impact
Awards that were held at Calissa
in Water Mill.
Rounding out the dinner
table was another interesting
man, John DiConza, president
of Th e Sinclair Group, which
lends money on real estate projects.
Believe it or not, he had
Brooklyn roots, too!
We were the last ones to leave
the clubhouse aft er enjoying dinner
A whirlwind of a weekend
on the patio with the stars
shining brightly above us. What
a fascinating night!
A NIGHT AMONG
HONOREES
Th e next night, my friend
Assemblywoman Rebecca
Seawright honored me and several
other leaders at the
Capri Hotel’s NAIA
Hamptons restaurant.
Its open-air space
was a perfect
environment for
the congenial
crowd including
my friend
and colleague
Dan Rattiner,
attending with
his wonderful
wife Chris
Rebecca Seawright
with Dan Rattiner
Wasserstein!
Th anks, Rebecca, for celebrating
the Above and Beyond
Leadership awardees.
Honorees included Joan
MacNaughton; Julie Ratner,
founder of the Ellen Hermanson
Foundation; our writer Flo
Anthony; attorney Elizabeth
Holtzman; landscape designer
Frederico Azevedo; Dr. Peter
Michalos, a regular contributor
on ABC radio and Dan’s
Papers columnist; Charles
Evdos, executive director of
RISE Life Services; philanthropist
and restaurateur Michael
Pitsinos; Founder/CEO of
the Cana Foundation Manda
Kalimian; and Women’s Health
Advocate Sybil Shainwald, Esq.,
a groundbreaking attorney who
received the Carolyn Maloney
Leadership Award.
Th e night had already nourished
my soul, but I was off to
another party.
A GREAT CAUSE
Dan’s Papers was the media
sponsor of the Tusk Lions Trail,
a foundation that raises
money to discourage
poaching and protecting
wildlife in Africa.
I’d been on a
safari in South
Africa and I was
shocked at how
few lions were
left to roam the
massive lands.
Th e newspapers
told the
gruesome story
about people
who were allegedly
killing the animals
for their tusks that supposedly
off er aphrodisiac properties.
How awful!
Th is international organization
off ered life-size casts of lions
to artists to creatively paint them
and, aft er being on display in the
Hamptons, have them auctioned
off to benefi t the
cause.
Friday night, the bidding
began and my two favorite
designs — one by Donna
Karan and the other by
family friend Jeremy Penn
— raised thousands of dollars!
Another lion went for
$100,000 on its own!
An enormous success for
the cause!
A BUSY SATURDAY
Every Saturday morning,
John Catsimatidis
leads a 9 a.m. breakfast
with interesting speakers.
Th is week, the special guest
was John Poulos, CEO of
Dominion Voting Systems
Corporation.
His company was
accused of “fi xing” the
2020 presidential election
by right-wing zealots. With
emotional words, he shared how
he has received hundreds of
death threats, but his company
had no machines in the states
where the threats originated.
His company’s engineering of
voting machines are all based on
paper ballots that can be verifi
ed and were, each time showing
that Biden had won. Sadly, facts
don’t matter to zealots.
Aft er breakfast, I made a
quick visit to Shabbos services
run by Rabbi Schneier at Th e
Hampton Synagogue.
Th en I was off to meet my
daughter Samantha and granddaughter
Morgan for lunch in
Westhsmpton’s Salt & Loft ,
where we dined on the outdoor
patio.
But the day was not done.
I went home to dress for the
annual Blue Dream Summer
Gala, where the Greek Orthodox
Church of the Hamptons raised
money for critical causes. More
than 650 people gathered under
an enormous, glamorous tent.
One of the recipients of the
money raised was Luv Michael,
which provides a life of dignity
and purpose for adults in the
autism spectrum through education,
employment and residential
services. Dr. Lisa Liberatore was
motivated by her son Michael’s
needs to create the group that
makes a diff erence in so many
lives and to so many people. Well
deserved!
Another benefi ciary of the
church’s generosity was Th e
LOHM Foundation, founded by
Topeka K. Sam. She had served
in federal prison and saw fi rsthand
the issues faced by women
of color during and aft er incarceration.
She set out to make a
diff erence and today, the LOHM
( Ladies of Hope Ministries)
Foundation has created several
programs that have radically
reduced recidivism.
Topeka is an extraordinary
person, proving the power of
one!
Ironically, both Congressman
Lee Zeldin and State Attorney
General Letitia James stood
side-by-side commending the
honorees.
A IMPACTFUL END TO THE
WEEKEND
Th e weekend ended on Sunday
with Dan’s Papers fi rst ever
OUT East End Impact Awards,
which joyously brought together
leaders in the area’s LGBTQ
community, just as we do in the
city with our Gay City News
media outlet.
What a treat it was for me
to see my granddaughter Addy
team up with emcee Angela
LaGreca to give out the awards!
I’m so grateful to Demetra,
Toni, Joseph and the entire
Dan’s Papers salesforce for
their help in putting this outdoor
event together! We raised
almost $8,000 for Southampton
Hospital’s Edie Windsor Health
Center.
What a remarkable end to a
magnifi cent weekend!
Sir Robert Fairbairn and Lady
Sarah Fairbairn purchased
Jeremy Penn’s lion for $35,000!
Donna Karan with her
fabulous lion!
Jimmy Mack and Brian Mott
were best dressed!
John DiConza, Dr. Georgia Witkin, Michael Tadross, Denise Arbesu, Peter
Meyer, Christiane Arbesu and Patrick Condren.
State AG Letitia James with Diana
Zeldin and Congressman Lee Zeldin.
Margo and John Catsimatidis with
their son John Jr. and Louisa Warwick.
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