Press
December 2011
- 12/08/11 - Aftertaste: The Apple Pushers by Courtney MacGinley (Edible East End)
- Fall 2011 - The Laurie M. Tisch Education Center (THE WHITNEY OF THE FUTURE CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER)
November 2011
11/22/2011 - The Children's Museum of Manhattan's EatSleepPlay Exhibit Launches
11/13/11 - Weekend in New York with Produce Pete (NBC New York)
- 11/10/2011 - Where Children Discover Their Inner Child by Laurel Graeber (NY Times)
- 11/03/2011 - Arthur and Stephanie Blank, Dr. Sanjay Gupta host a "Street Food" fight against food deserts, obesity (Atlanta Magazine)
October 2011
- 10/24/2011 - Illumination Fund Gallery Shows Israeli "Community" Images (The Algemeiner Journal)
September 2011
- 9/27/2011 - Museum Moves Beyond Its Walls by Sophia Hollander (Wall Street Journal)
09/09/11 - Taking Stock with Pimm Fox (Bloomberg TV)
August 2011
- 08/04/11 - A Mobile Strategy for America's Eating Problem By Laurie M. Tisch (Huffingtonpost.com)
July 2011
07/25/11 - Symposium on Giving to Arts and Culture (Philanthropy)
- • Tell me about a really smart grant to the arts.
- • What's your favorite hidden gem?
- • Tell me something I don't know about giving to the arts.
June 2011
- 06/29/11 - A Name New York Charities Know Well (Our Town)
- 06/29/11 - The Apple Pushers premieres at the Aspen Ideas Festival
- Josh Viertel, president, Slow Food USA (moderator);
- Ezekiel Emanuel, chair, Bioethics Department, National Institutes of Health;
- Mary Mazzio, director, The Apple Pushers;
- Richard McCarthy, director, marketumbrella.org; and
- Robin Schepper, former executive director, Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign; current senior advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center's Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative.
- 06/22/11 - Union Settlement Association and Dr. Melony Samuels Receive Inaugural Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize (Press Release)
March 2011
- 03/17/11 - NYC Green Cart Cookbook Has Recipes From Celeb Chefs and More (nbcnewyork.com)
- 03/16/11 - New Healthy Cookbook Features Recipes from Celebrity Chefs and NYC Street Vendors (blacktiemagazine.com)
- 03/16/11 - Laurie M. Tisch appears with Bill Telepan on Good Day NY! with Rosanna Scotto (myfoxny.com)
- 03/16/11 - Laurie Tisch on Her Support for New York City Green Carts (Bloomberg.com)
- 03/16/11 - Colicchio, Samuelsson Help Laurie Tisch Write Charity Cookbook (Bloomberg.com)
- 03/10/11 - Rick Luftglass Appointed Executive Director (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- 03/01/11 - Luftglass New ED at Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (NYNP.com)
February 2011
- 02/27/11 - People in the News: Appointments and Promotions (PND)
- 02/25/11 - Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund Announces Appointment of Rick Luftglass as Executive Director (PDF)
November 2010
- 11/24/10 - Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund Announces Departure of Gail Nayowith as Executive Director (PDF)
- 11/10/10 – Other Cities Eye Green Carts (New York Times)
- 11/10 – Go Go Green Carts (Produce Business)
October 2010
- 10/17/10 – Tang's tenth anniversary luncheon is a time for reflection (Skidmore College)
September 2010
- 09/16/10 – Provocative abstract exhibit to open at Skidmore (saratogian.com)
July 2010
- 07/07/10 – Fresh fruit and veggies have arrived in St. George (silive.com)
- 07/01/10 – Fresh fruit and veggies have arrived in St. George (silive.com)
June 2010
- 06/28/10 – Building A Greenhouse (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)
- 06/27/10 – National Conference on Volunteering and Service 2010 Greenhouse Service Project in East New York, Brooklyn (NBC Channel 4 News)
- 06/14/10 – The Tisch Legacy at Hunter (The City University of New York)
- 06/13/10 – A Nonprofit Effort Delivers Green Groceries—and Opportunity (Philanthropy.com)
- 06/09/10 – Laurie Tisch's Foundation recognized with Award of Merit (AIANY.org)
May 2010
- 05/27/10 – $1.2 million grant to support Tang's programs, mission (Skidmore College)
- 05/19/10 –Tisch Illumination Fund Showcases Green Cart Photos and Gathers City Partners (Black Tie Magazine)
- 05/20/10 – Cart yourself over to some fresh fruits and veggies (Queens Chronicle)
- 05/20/10 – Tisch Furthers Mission to Fight Childhood Obesity (The Wall Street Journal)
April 2010
- 04/20/10 – Children's Museum of Manhattan Gala (Style 1 Media)
- 04/20/10 – Mayor Bloomberg Releases One-Year Progress Report On NYC Service (Media Newswire)
- 04/1/10 – Census Workers In Queens Find Reluctant Residents (NPR)
February 2010
- 02/25/10 – Foundations, including the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, Start Major Push to Get Accurate City Census Count: $562,000 Awarded to 35 Nonprofits (WWD Lifestyle)
- 2/10/10 – Census 2010: A Queens Campaign Seeks to Get Everyone Counted, Including Illegals (WNYC)
- 02/09/10 – Tisch Family Honored at MoMA (WWD Lifestyle)
January 2010
- 01/16/10 – Fighting obesity in New York City... (World Vision Report)
The East End is in fact edible, with its countless producers of fresh-grown fruits and vegetables and an abundance of agriculture at its residents' fingertips. The main roads of our towns are not lined with fast-food joints, but rather farm stands and pick-your-own purveyors.
We are very fortunate. But, not more than a hundred or so miles from Long Island's East End lie areas that have literally been deemed "food deserts": low-income parts of New York City and its surrounding boroughs, where residents have little if any source of such nourishing ingredients to feed themselves and their families.
For the complete article, click here
Just as education is a central part of the Whitney's mission, the Laurie M. Tisch Education Center will be a hub of activity in the new building downtown. Unlike many museums in the city, where education facilities are relegated to the basement or off-site, the Laurie M. Tisch Education Center will be at the Museum's heart as it provides o dynamic interface between the public entrance and the Whitney's galleries. Its location on the second floor will enable program participants to move easily from exhibitions into the Education Center, creating opportunities for Whitney educators to extend their gallery-based teaching with artmaking activities, demonstrations, and in-depth study and discussion.
One of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund's long-time partners is getting some phenomenal media attention. The Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) opened its new exhibit, EatSleepPlay, on November 11, 2011. This exciting, interactive exhibit allows children and their families to explore how and why food, sleep and physical activity work together to power the body and fuel the mind. The exhibit has and more than 70 fun learning stations for kids and parents alike, and people are taking notice! See more on CBS's Eye on New York segment that aired November 20, the Fox 5 NY News segment that aired on November 14, and NY1's Parenting: Where to Go segment that aired on November 17.
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What would you think if you visited a public restroom, and the toilet began to talk - in a female voice with a British accent no less - about the bodily function you'd just performed?
No such bathroom exists in New York City, but "The Royal Flush," among more than 70 interactive exhibits in "EatSleepPlay: Building Health Every Day," the new show at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, does something similar. When little visitors pull this fake toilet's handle, it responds with images and explains, in the warm but slightly brisk tones of a no-nonsense nanny, that what we excrete provides clues to our well-being.
For the complete article, click here.
When they announced their separation in September after 16 years of marriage, Arthur and Stephanie Blank assured the public they would continue working together on their shared philanthropic and community-building commitments. True to their word, the Home Depot co-founder and Atlanta Falcons owner and family were seated in the front row together Wednesday night at the Arthur M. Blank Family Office in Buckhead as they hosted "Street Food: Attacking Obesity & Wiping Out Food Deserts One City Block at a Time."
Inside the packed ornate room, CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta moderated a 90-minute panel discussion streaming live on the non-profit's website and updates scrolling on Twitter. Introducing the evening's discussion was New York Giants co-owner Laurie M. Tisch, the president of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. Tisch recently initiated and underwrote the financing for "The Apple Pushers," a fascinating new documentary by Mary Mazzio chronicling five immigrant pushcart vendors in NYC as they bring fresh fruits and vegetables to grocery store-less food deserts in the city. Joining Mazzio and Gupta on the panel were Cathy Nonas, NYC's Department of Health's physical activity and nutrition director and Dr. Dwayne Proctor, the director of the childhood obesity program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
For the complete article, please click here.
"In a democratic society, the arts must be accessible to all, regardless of means." says Laurie Tisch, founder and director of The Illumination Fund. Tisch, the daughter of Loew's co-founder Preston Robert Tisch, founded the Fund in 2007 to "find innovative approaches to education, the arts, healthy lifestyles, and service in order to illuminate solutions that transform our urban landscape."
The Wall Street Journal has called Tisch's philanthropic work "practically a profession." The Illumination Fund, a New York City based foundation, "plays an engaged and active role in supporting organizations and leaders who have a positive impact and lasting effect on well-being and community life." Much of its work focuses on the communities of New York City; the current exhibit, however, focuses on two of Israel's communities, seen through the work of Israeli photographers Assaf Evron and Oded Hirsch.
For the complete article, please click here.
Left: Assaf Evron speaks about his work. Photo by Maxine Dovere
The Children's Museum of Manhattan will open a permanent exhibition in an East Harlem public-housing project in what officials hope can become a national model.
A $565,000 federal grant, awarded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will fund a 2,000-square-foot installation in the James Weldon Johnson Houses that will focus on health and literacy and include 25 interactive stations, as well as ongoing programming. It's slated to open in 2013.
Museum experts said the collaboration between the New York City Housing Authority and the Upper West Side institution signals a shift in the role of children's museums from cultural destinations to centers of social outreach and even activism.
Who is the Mystery Guest?
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Last week, Michelle Obama, together with national retailers SuperValu, Walgreens and Walmart, committed to bringing fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods to areas that have little or no access to healthy foods. Within this new and bold partnership, these retailers and policy makers are working together to build and expand 1,500 stores in the next five years.
There's an appetite for a variety of initiatives that will work against expanding American waistlines, especially in our cities. At a time when the federal budget is about to be slashed, there are partnership opportunities where private donors can help supplement public funds. From Aspen to New York and Madison to New Orleans, cities around the country are listening to and engaging in discussions about food access, nutrition-related health problems and how to get fresh produce into urban areas where the main source of food is fast and unhealthy.
Click here to read more.
To celebrate Philanthropy magazine's special issue on giving to arts and culture, the editors invited some of America's leading arts donors and experts to weigh in on three important questions:
The contributors to this symposium span the full breadth of American arts philanthropy and include (among others) Adrienne Arsht, David Bohnett, Jay Kislak, David Koch, and Laurie Tisch. Laurie's featured responses are below:
Tell me about a really smart gift to the arts.
Children's Museum of Manhattan – I believe that really smart grants to the arts are those that aren't just about the art. They're about the unique role that the arts play in developing minds, enriching lives, strengthening communities, and contributing to a vibrant culture. For years, we've been supporting the Children's Museum of Manhattan—not an arts institution, but an institution that uses the arts and other disciplines to help kids learn, create, express, and grow. We recently funded the museum's new interactive exhibit, "Eat Sleep Play," which will engage kids and families in experiences that teach healthy behavior, good nutrition, and physical fitness.
Tell me something I don't know about giving to the arts.
"The Arts Must Be Accessible to All" – In a democratic society, the arts must be accessible to all, regardless of means. I've been a member of the Whitney Museum's board and education committee for many years. The Whitney's focus is on American art and artists, and its education programs enable students to think like artists and view the world from the artist's perspective. The Whitney partners with schools, teen programs, and neighborhood groups in deep and sustained ways so students have the opportunity to develop skills and critical thinking over time. Donors ensure that arts institutions are embedded in and serve their communities.
Tisch family continues to support worthy city causes
Christopher Moore for Our Town NY – Laurence Tisch died November 15, 2003. His brother, Preston Robert "Bob" Tisch, died two years later on the same date. But the two brothers, so central to the life of their city and especially its philanthropic endeavors, developed a passion for giving that remains very much alive.
That much is clear when Laurie Tisch, Bob Tisch's daughter, sits at a conference table at the Laurie Tisch Illumination Fund on West 56th Street. With 20th-floor views behind her, she and several fund employees sat and recalled the matter-of-fact manner in which the Tisch brothers became boldfaced names around the city. She told a story of pointing out to a taxi driver an apartment building in which Bob Tisch then lived, only to have the cabbie argue back that nobody with so much money and power would pick such a normal-looking building.
"I don't think they were trying to prove a point being low-key," she said. "They were just like that."
For the complete article, please click here.
On June 29, 2011, the documentary film The Apple Pushers premiered at this year's Aspen Ideas Festival. The latest project from award-winning documentary filmmaker Mary Mazzio and underwritten by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, The Apple Pushers sits at the intersection of food deserts and the obesity crisis, immigration and entry-level entrepreneurship.
Narrated by actor Edward Norton, the film follows five immigrant pushcart vendors on their journey to sell fresh fruits and vegetables in New York City's food deserts, places where finding a ripe, red apple close to home can present a serious challenge. As part of an initiative called the NYC Green Cart Initiative, these vendors are rolling fresh produce into low-income neighborhoods where obesity and diabetes rates are highest and healthy food choices are desperately needed.
Directly following the premiere, a panel of national food and nutrition experts discussed innovative strategies to address issues of food access and obesity in U.S. cities. Panel participants included:
To learn more about the film, and to receive information about future screenings, please visit The Apple Pushers website.
To watch the PlumTV interview featuring Mary Mazzio and Laurie Tisch, please click here.
To listen to the Aspen Public Radio segment featuring Mary Mazzio and Laurie Tisch, please click here.
Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab today announced that the Union Settlement Association and Dr. Melony Samuels of Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger are the recipients of the inaugural Joan H. Tisch Community Health Prize. The newly established prize, which will be presented June 22nd at Hunter College's Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, will be administered by the Hunter College Foundation and is earmarked for a not-for-profit organization and individual for distinguished accomplishment in the field of urban public health.
For the complete press release, please click here.
Three years ago, setting up stands selling fruits and vegetables was one step in the city's goal to promote healthy eating. Now, 500 Green Carts are thriving across New York City, and the program has grown to boast a cookbook published exclusively for the Green Cart community.
The Green Cart public-private partnership was started with $1.5 million seed money from philanthropist Laurie Tisch, with the aim to boost healthy eating in areas where fruit and vegetable consumption is typically low.
NEW YORK, New York (March 16, 2011) - To launch the start of the third official NYC Green Carts season, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund today released a collection of 26 recipes, inspired by the fruits and vegetables sold at NYC Green Carts. The NYC Green Cart Cookbook includes a forward from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, as well as contributions from famous NYC chefs, elected officials, community groups and Green Cart vendors. This Spring, 10,000 free cookbooks will be given away at NYC Green Carts and health-focused institutions across the City in an effort to promote healthy eating in New York neighborhoods.
Philanthropist Laurie Tisch talks about her financial support for New York City produce carts. Three years ago her nonprofit Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund granted $1.5 million in seed money to jumpstart a drive that places wheeled stands in neighborhoods where the diet tends to be short of such foods.
Philanthropist Laurie Tisch has expanded on the $1.5 million in seed money she gave New York's Green Cart with a cookbook tied to the initiative's efforts to bring more fruits and vegetables to lower-income neighborhoods.
Three years ago her nonprofit Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund made the financial gift to jumpstart a drive that places wheeled produce stands in neighborhoods where the diet tends to be short of such foods.
"The Green Cart Cookbook" (Firstline Creative & Media), a compilation of recipes funded by Tisch and released today, aims to show cart customers how to buy for and create healthy dishes.
Photographer: Patrick Cole/Bloomberg
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (New York): Appointed Rick Luftglass, a consultant to grant makers based in New York and former senior director of corporate philanthropy and community engagement at Pfizer (New York), to be executive director.
Rick Luftglass has been selected to be Executive Director the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (LMTIF). Luftglass has worked in the private, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, most notably spending 16 years at Pfizer, heading the company's U.S. Corporate Philanthropy programs.
"Rick's deep appreciation for the rich assets of cities and commitment to developing solutions for the problems that affect them will be a natural fit with the mission of the Illumination Fund," said Laurie M. Tisch, President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. "His extensive background in healthcare will also be an important asset for the Fund as we continue to expand our focus in the food and nutrition space, and we are very excited to have him on board. I have no doubt that Rick will be a crucial part of our team as we continue to place big bets on initiatives that make an impact for New Yorkers."
The New York City-based Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund has announced the appointment of RICK LUFTGLASS as executive director. Luftglass, most recently a consultant for private foundations, earlier served as a grants reviewer for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Choice Neighborhoods and the Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods initiatives. Before that, he spent sixteen years at Pfizer, heading the company's U.S. corporate philanthropy programs.
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund (LMTIF) today announced the appointment of Rick Luftglass as Executive Director, a position he will assume effective March 1, 2011. Mr. Luftglass has worked in the private, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors, most notably spending 16 years at Pfizer, heading the company's U.S. Corporate Philanthropy programs.
"Rick's deep appreciation for the rich assets of cities and commitment to developing solutions for the problems that affect them will be a natural fit with the mission of the Illumination Fund," said Laurie M. Tisch, President of the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. "His extensive background in healthcare will also be an important asset for the Fund as we continue to expand our focus in the food and nutrition space, and we are very excited to have him on board. I have no doubt that Rick will be a crucial part of our team as we continue to place big bets on initiatives that make an impact for New Yorkers."
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund today announced the departure of founding Executive Director Gail B. Nayowith, who has been in this role since its inception in the fall of 2007. Ms. Nayowith has been selected to serve as the new Executive Director at SCO Family of Services, a position she will assume effective February 1, 2011. Prior to joining the Illumination Fund, Ms. Nayowith led the Citizens' Committee for Children of New York for 15 years.
"The Illumination Fund simply wouldn't be what it is today without Gail's incredible leadership over the past three years," said Laurie Tisch. "She took this organization from something that was little more than an idea and helped execute the vision in a fashion that has been both impressive and inspiring. Gail is a consummate professional who's deep experience in this space and unremitting attention to detail enabled the Illumination Fund to emerge as a fully-fledged foundation with the freedom to place big bets on initiatives that can make an impact for New Yorkers. She will most certainly be missed, but I wish her the very best in her new role and look forward to embarking upon the next exciting chapter of the Illumination Fund."
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, with which The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund has worked with since its inception, will serve as the interim program office during the transition phase.
Every philanthropist dreams of financing a model program that proves so successful that others want to replicate it.
But Laurie M. Tisch had no idea that she would pave the way for other cities when she offered to donate $250,000 to help get a New York nutrition program off the ground.
Ms. Tisch, daughter of Preston Robert Tisch, who together with his brother Laurence built the Loews Corporation, had just started a new foundation, the Illumination Fund, when she got a call from the mayor's office asking her to attend a news conference about regulating food carts.
The Carts can be seen all over the city, from busy street corners to the sidewalks beneath elevated subway tracks. Some are sponsored by the likes of Home Depot and other retailers, according to the beach umbrella that inevitably shelters vendors from the sun. However, the main impetus behind them is New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), which established the Green Cart program in 2008 in an effort to produce in some city neighborhoods.
Funded by a $1.5 million grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the Green Cart Initiative provides micro-loans and technical assistance to Green Cart operators who must have a valid mobile food vending license and a permit for the cart. Operators also get help with branding, marketing and community outreach to attract customers. The initiative is part of a public-private effort to improve access to healthy foods through the creation of 1,000 new street vending permits.
The Saturday celebration at the Tang included the dedication of the museum's newest named space, the Illumination Gallery, named in honor the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund. The gallery is a "bridge" on the Tang's second floor that overlooks the atrium and the entrance to the Wachenheim Gallery below.
The Illumination Fund recently awarded Skidmore a grant of $1.2 million in support of the Tang's museum-based learning program. The grant virtually fulfilled a three-to-one matching grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, guaranteeing that the College would achieve the $4.8 million endowment needed to ensure the continuance of key components already in process at the Tang.
"The Jewel Thief," a new exhibition opening Saturday at the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, brings together abstract works by more than 60 artists, with the intention of provoking new ways to experience and think about abstract art.
From the overlooking Illumination Gallery, made possible by a recent gift from Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, visitors can stand on another artwork, an installation by London-based artist Richard Woods. His printed floor boards also make a stage for modernist-inspired sculpture by Rico Gatson and a series of 1960s weavings from the Tang's collection.
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund has awarded $300,000 in grants to six New York City organizations, enabling these non-profits to expand capacity and increase their reach. The organizations include The After-School Corporation, generationOn, New York Cares, ReServe, Taproot Foundation New York, and The United Way New York City BoardServe initiative. The grants follow the conclusion of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service held in New York City.
Staten Island's first fruit and vegetable "Green Cart" stand opened its umbrella last week at the ball-park-side entrance to the St. George Ferry Terminal.
Potatoes and eggplants, berries and mangoes, aloe vera leaves and organic bananas displayed in handsome baskets with other produce, arrived as a result of the city's Green Cart Initiative, a Department of Health program designed to bring healthy foods to underserved neighborhoods.
Almost 50 volunteers gathered in East New York on Saturday to build a greenhouse on a recently acquired lot behind Euclid 500 Garden. The participants assembled planters with fruits, vegetable and herbs — which will be donated to a local food bank — and also built picnic tables and painted a mural. The project was sponsored by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, whose mission is to increase access and opportunity for all New Yorkers. The project was held just two days before the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.
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Reopened this Spring after extensive renovation, the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College has received generous support from donors to sponsor new initiatives and programs. One of the first initiatives to benefit is The Joan H. Tisch Legacy Project made possible with a $1.2 million five-year grant from the children of New York City humanitarian activist, Joan Hyman Tisch.
Street-food culture in New York has long been as vibrant and diverse as the city's residents. Falafel, bulgogi, chorizo, jerk chicken, biryani, arepas, and other cheap and exotic dishes can be found on many street corners.
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund will receive the 2010 Award of Merit. While only a few years old, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund has already left a significant, positive mark on New York, by making the city smarter, healthier, and more inclusive. Under the guidance of the dedicated community leader and philanthropist Laurie Tisch, the Fund has been responsible for public interventions such as the Lawn at Lincoln Center campus. It also supports health initiatives like the NYC Green Carts and City Meals on Wheels.
Skidmore has received a $1.2 million grant from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund in support of the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery's museum-based learning program.
The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund grant will virtually fulfill a three-to-one matching grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, guaranteeing that the college will achieve the $4.8 million endowment needed to ensure the continuance of key components already in process at the Tang.
On Wednesday, May 19, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund hosted a photography reception for Aperture photographers working to document the Green Carts project. The event was widely attended by city officials and non-profit partners of the Fund. Attendees included Deputy Mayor Gibbs, DOHMH Commissioner Farley, Juan Garcia de Oteyza, Aperture Executive Director, as well as other partners, and showcased the work of five emerging photographers who have spent the last year photographing Green Cart vendors.
Along Jamaica Avenue there are many fast food options - from McDonald's to Burger King, Taco Bell to Wendy's - this bustling business corridor has it all. But lately a new and healthier sight has been greeting shoppers - fresh fruits and vegetables sold from Green Carts.
For Laurie Tisch, New York philanthropy is practically a profession. This week alone, the heir to the Loews Corp. business empire is highlighting four gifts to further her mission of giving access and opportunity to underserved New Yorkers in the form of health, education and the arts.
On April 20th, the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) held a gala to honor Executive Director Andrew S. Ackerman for his 20 years of leadership and service. Guests were warmly welcomed by Mr. Ackerman, along with CMOM Board Chair Halley Harrisburg and Honorary Board Chair Laurie Tisch. For more information about the event, click here.
Without the generous donations from the following organizations, the establishment and work of NYC Service would not have been possible: David Rockefeller, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund and the Lizzie and Jonathan M. Tisch Foundation.
Volunteers have spent weeks trying to convince residents of one New York neighborhood to fill out their Census forms. An accurate count can bring in government services and funding for projects, but many residents in and around Corona, Queens, don't want to be counted.
Concerned about the serious long-term political and financial consequences of an inaccurate census count for New York City, The New York Community Trust has joined with the New York Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and other funders to launch the 2010 Census Funders NYC Initiative. Because immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, and other minority groups have traditionally been undercounted, the funders' group has awarded $562,000 to 35 grassroots and advocacy groups which will work in communities throughout the five boroughs to explain the importance of the census and dispel fears about how census data is used.
As part of this year's census, the city has launched the biggest grassroots campaign in history to count immigrants who're here illegally. One focus of the effort is northwest Queens: neighborhoods like Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, where there's been a surge of new Hispanic immigrants since 2000. In the past, many have failed to send in their census forms. As part of our occasional series Feet in Two Worlds, Annie Correal went to see how the campaign is going.
Joan Tisch and her sons Steve Tisch and Jonathan Tisch, and daughter Laurie Tisch were honored with MoMA's David Rockefeller Award Tuesday afternoon, in recognition of their generosity and advocacy of the arts. Connie Chung and Maury Povich, Jo Carole Lauder and Thelma Golden were among those gathered for a luncheon in the museum's lobby. The atmosphere was so reserved that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones slipped in nearly unnoticed.
"We're dear friends of the Tisches, known the family for a long time," said Douglas. "Just admire Joan Tisch so much and have known both Jon and Steven for years."
MoMA trustee Marie Josee-Kravis acknowledged the family's contribution to the museum as well as other cultural organizations around the city. "They've been great contributors in buying works of art and supporting our education programs," she said. "Laurie Tisch supports the Center for Arts Education, they've supported the Met, NYU school of the arts. You could ask what would New York be without the Tisches and I think a lot of institutions would be different." Or, as one guest saw it, "It's good to be a Tisch in this room."
They're known as the food deserts. Low-income neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City where people live below the poverty level amidst busy business districts. Fried fast food is the norm. Fresh produce is harder to come by.
That's why New York City launched its Green Cart program. It's one component in a larger program to fight obesity in the city. Get these green carts into the hands of burgeoning entrepreneurs, most with a knack for street vending, and they'll provide fresher produce than most other stands or bodegas in the neighborhood, making for a healthier community.