We call our civic awards the WESTYs, which stands for West Side Spirit Thanks You. The requirements for a WESTY are simple. The awards go to New Yorkers who live or work in the community and whose accomplishments help improve the neighborhood. Nominations are made by prominent West Siders, by Spirit readers and by our editorial staff. We then narrow the lists in each category and select a handful of nominees to honor in person and in the pages of the newspaper.

We hope you enjoy reading about these accomplished neighbors in the following pages, and we look forward to hearing more from them in the coming year.

Sincerely,
Tom Allon, President & CEO and Allen Houston, Executive Editor West Side Spirit

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West Sider of the Year
Ruth Messinger

Bravest and Finest
David Echevarria

Bravest and Finest
Christopher McCormack

Charity
Doreen Wohl

Charity
Dr. Andrew Kaplan

Charity
Aaron De Broux

Clergy
Adena Berkowitz

Clergy
Rev. Heidi Neumark

Clergy
John Duffell

Community Builders
Don Evans

Community Builders
Andrew Albert

Culture
Holly Hotchner

Culture
Lisa Gugenheim

Culture
Nanci Callahan

Educators
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin

Educators
Eva Moskowitz

Entrepreneur
Nora Lavori

Entrepreneur
Derek Aucoin

Healthcare Pros
Angela Schramm

Healthcare Pros
David Orelowitz

Real Estate
Rachel Erlich

Real Estate
Deanna Kory

Restaurateurs
Larry Good

By Regina Molaro

The Church of the Ascension’s Rev. John Duffell serves as a symbol of love in his community.

Duffell, pastor of the Church of the Ascension, earned a WESTY Award for the community work he has done to provide support for the people of the Upper West Side. He has been an advocate for those with no voice.

Rev. John Duffell, pastor of the Church of the Ascension.

“As a parish priest, people come in to see me for all kinds of advice and I work with them, as well as other agencies and groups,” said Duffell, who remains humble about the way he has dedicated his life to serving others. “I’m just a parish priest. A lot of people come to me with needs and I do what a good Christian is supposed to do, which is to love other people and assist them.”

Although loving others is not always easy for us to do. Rev. Duffell refers to a famous quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.” The pastor says that sometimes, we have to learn to love.

Duffell’s positive energy, charisma and genuine care for people has drawn many people to mass at the church. People who work with him say that although he is very modest, Duffell has made a great impact on the parish as well as the community.

Duffell certainly had a hand in helping the church adapt to the shifting neighborhood, as well as the shifting times. The parish draws a diverse following, including Latino immigrants, as well as affluent young professionals. It hosts a variety of services and unique events such as Dominican Sunday, which provides courses for the Spanish-speaking community in ESL, GED, computer skills, naturalization and more. It also hosts martini night, a modern interpretation of the traditional church’s coffee hour or potluck. On the first Sunday of the month, after Mass, everyone gathers for fellowship, food and all kinds of drinks, including martinis.

When Duffell entered into religious life many years ago, his motivation was to help others. “When I went into the seminary, organizations like the Peace Corps did not exist. The church is a vehicle for change in the world, and is responsible for safeguarding human dignity and protecting human rights. We’re made in the image and likeness of God and it is our job to protect all human life and enable people to live with dignity,” he said.

Hobbies, particularly reading novels, history and theology, are among Duffell’s favorite activities. He also enjoys biking, the theater and going to the movies.

By Mirva Lempiainen

Larry Good is an Upper West Side kind of guy. Born and raised in New York, he grew up on West 86th Street, where his parents still live. Currently calling 123rd Street home, the 45-year-old restaurateur has spent nearly all his life to the west of Central Park.

“The West Side is the crème de la crème. I’ve always felt at home here,” he said, sitting in his “downtown” restaurant, the second Toast NYC that is located at 105th Street and Broadway. “Well, it is my home,” he quickly noted.

Larry Good, owner of Toast, said he looks to underserved sections of the West Side to open new restaurants.

Good says the only times he has ventured out of the neighborhood are the times that he has left the city altogether: to attend college at Cornell University and to live the life of a ski bum out West for a few months while in his twenties.

Considering his background, it’s only appropriate that all three of Good’s restaurants are located in the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights: The two Toasts can be found along Broadway, the original one near 123rd Street and the sequel at 105th Street, and the Heights Bar & Grill is between 111th and 112th streets, also on Broadway. The establishments currently employ about 100 people.

Good said he always looks to set up restaurants in underserved communities, as rents tend to be cheaper and his places will stand out more. When the first Toast opened at 3157 Broadway in 1999, he said it was the first restaurant on the northern edge of Morningside Heights.

“There was a need that wasn’t filled as much,” he said of the neighborhood that now boasts a lively nightlife scene and tens of restaurants. “I like the area a lot, it has a unique charm to it.”

Good found his way into the food business after he was nominated “the guy in charge of food” at his Cornell fraternity, Beta Delta Chi. “I ended up liking cooking,” he said, and things progressed from there.

Combining his love of good food and his business degree, Good bought his first restaurant, Nacho Mama’s Burritos, 18 years ago. It was renamed the Heights Bar & Grill in 1996 after a fire destroyed most of it. Prior to owning the place, Good worked as a chef in the restaurant, and a host of others.

“I strayed from kitchen to management,” Good said, adding that though he still loves food, nowadays he only deals with it when it comes to menu planning and tasting.

Good calls the grub at his restaurants “truck-stop gourmet,” as it is good quality food served in big portion sizes. The two Toasts and the Heights Bar & Grill offer a selection of Mexican-American choices, and cater for vegetarians, too. “All things for all people,” assured Good.

Above all, Good said his restaurants are neighborhood favorites. “If you don’t want to travel to Brooklyn or Downtown, you can come here, stay close to home and have a good old time.”

Much to the joy of his loyal customers, Good is currently looking for new underserved areas where he could set up house. Possibilities include Washington Heights or City College area, anything “uptown-Broadway” in general.

Once a West Sider, always a West Sider.

By Regina Molaro

Deanna Kory, senior vice president of the Corcoran Group Real Estate and president of The Deanna Kory Team, was honored with a WESTY Award for her dedication and commitment to residential real estate sales in the Upper West Side area. Through her work with Corcoran, Kory has made great contributions to the community, specifically through her leadership, expertise and high level of professionalism.

Deanna Kory, who heads her own real estate team, has been living on the Upper West Side for nearly three decades.

When working with clients, Kory highlights the pre-war architecture and history of the neighborhood’s buildings by sharing this information with building owners, the brokerage community and the public.

“I love preserving history and educating people. I have joined with Landmark West [a non-profit that works to achieve landmark status for individual buildings and historic districts, and works to protect them] in putting on seminars and architectural history talks, and I am passionate about architectural history and educating those interested,” said Kory.

Dedicated to Upper West Side life, Kory, 51, has been a resident since 1981, and has been working for Corcoran since 2001. “I sell a lot of real estate and I strive to get good prices for the clients I work with. I’m always highlighting the joys of living on the Upper West Side too. I really try to make a difference in my clients’ lives,” she said.

In addition to keeping the Upper West Side moving, Kory has been recognized as a leader in the real estate industry. In 2007, The Real Estate Board of New York created a New York Realty Specialist, a professional certification course that enables experienced and accomplished agents to receive additional education to attain a higher level of professional certification. Kory, who served as an expert on the panel discussion, spoke about leadership in the industry. “I was chosen by my peers as an example of a leader within the residential real estate world,” said Kory. “I am passionate about raising the level of professionalism.”

Kory remains committed to her career, and her future plans include continuing to serve in a leadership capacity and continuing to raise the level of professionalism.

No stranger to the limelight, Kory has been widely recognized by the New York community. She has been quoted in many media outlets, including The New York Times and New York magazine. The real estate leader has also made some television debuts, appearing on Open House NYC, as well as other real estate-related programs.

Although Kory spends a lot of time working, her leisure time is dedicated to family life. She and her husband Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of International Relations at NYU, have two children—Giorgi, age 13 and Jeremy, age 10. Kory is also a dog lover and has a Shih Tzu named Mushu.

By Isha Dandavate

Rachel Erlich believes in providing more than the usual apartment-hunting experience. She believes in personal interactions, a comforting experience for her clients and finding a solution that leaves everyone happy.

Erlich, 47, began Rachel Realty in 2004 after having worked for two other real estate companies. “I chose not to work for a big company, because I believed in the old mom-and-pop school,” she said. “I believe there is something in good service.” She started the business with just two other women, and in the past six years her small realty company has grown to 20 employees.

Rachel Erlich of Rachel Realty.

According to Erlich, her business is different from other realty companies in one main way: She manages everything instead of hiring someone else to do it. In fact, this is the reason why she hasn’t expanded her business further. She doesn’t want to leave her agents in the Upper West Side office for an office in another neighborhood so she can continue to be involved with all of her clients. “This is somebody’s life—they’re waiting for a home. This is where they eat, sleep, this is where they trust,” said Erlich. “This is a big responsibility for a broker. At least I take it that way, and so does my group.”

The agents who work with Rachel also observe her dedication. “Almost every deal—especially in this market—she has personalized the experience for clients,” said agent Orly Musai, 29. “The way she thinks, the way she sees things, she’s truly an inspiration.”

Musai has worked at Rachel Realty for four and a half years, and has a hard time thinking of just one story to illustrate Erlich’s dedication to personalized service. She remembers a time when she just began working at the company—Rachel was helping a client complete a deal at an apartment building run by a co-operative. Because of the co-op’s strict rules and procedures, the clients were unable to move into their new apartment on time. “The client needed to stay where they were for an extra two days, so to pay for the clients, Rachel gave up part of her fee,” says Musai. “It was a small fee, but we gave it back because this is what matters. She always finds a solution for the clients.”

In order to provide this high level of service, Erlich has made some sacrifices. “My hours could start at six in the morning, literally staying overnight and working until the next morning,” she said. “Sometimes I need to do that to remember that in business it’s OK to sacrifice once in a while.”

But it seems her sacrifice pays off. Musai observes the happiness and ease with which clients interact with Erlich. “Even when they hand her a check, though it’s a lot of money, they’re doing it with a smile.”

Erlich was born in Israel and came to New York in 1965 with her parents. She grew up in the Lower East Side and now lives with her husband, Avi, in New Jersey. She has three children from a former marriage, and Avi also has two children. The couple work together at Rachel Realty.

When asked about free time, Rachel laughed. “If I get that luxury I just want to do nothing. I want to stop thinking. I have my cell phone on silent and I take that extra time so I can re-energize the batteries.”

By Sara Dover

Working with Jewish Home Lifecare was meant to be, so it seems, said West Sider David Orelowitz.

The VP of Goldman Sachs started volunteering at the not-for-profit elder care system by flipping burgers for a company-sponsored barbecue for Lifecare a few years ago, but he became more committed when a friend bumped into him in the hallway and told him the institution was looking for someone with an IT background to work on a electronic records project.

David Orelowitz, a volunteer at Jewish Home Lifecare, is saving the retirement home money with efficient recordkeeping.

“It seemed the connection was really there with the Jewish Home, so it was an easy decision to make,” said Orelowitz, who has been helping upgrade their records system for three years. “It would have expanded my involvement. I wanted to have more involvement in a charity more than one day a year.”

The South Africa native volunteers on the Jewish Home’s board, working with their IT department and vendors to facilitate the project that is rolling out its first phase (patient info) this month. An electronic records system, Orelowitz said, is more efficient, cost-cutting and, most importantly, will improve the care of the retirement home.

The Jewish Home is more than happy with having Orelowitz on board and the project’s progress.

“David’s talent and expertise afforded our organization the ability to put a valuable system into operation,” said Thomas Gilmartin, chief administrative officer. “Throughout his leadership role and guidance on the project, David had one clear goal—to implement a system that benefits our community, our residents and their families.”

When Orelowitz moved to New York from South Africa two decades ago, he said the West Side felt “comfortable,” likely because “it certainly had a Jewish feel” and “it had a liberal sensibility.”

Therefore, it was natural for the technologist to find a way to get to know his community upon moving to his new neighborhood on 104th Street with his family four years ago, and he signed up to barbecue at the Jewish Home soon afterward.

Orelowitz took one year of medical school before switching to engineering, so he always had an interest in healthcare. But something that really hit home for Orelowitz, and motivated him to volunteer for Jewish Home Lifecare, was his grandparents.

“Both of my elderly grandparents eventually landed in a home in South Africa, a very nice home in South Africa,” he said. “I had not expected to find that sort of facility in New York, that took care of my grandparents in later years… when I found the Jewish Home, it surprised me in a very pleasant way.”

Jewish Home Lifecare’s electronic records system is expected to be finalized in the next year and Orelowitz said he is looking forward to seeing the project through.

“The quality of the people, the dedication of the people, the commitment is absolutely outstanding.”

By Gavin Aronsen

For more than three decades—all of her adult life—Angela Schramm has worked in various roles at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City.

Schramm, a registered nurse and diabetes educator, has spent the past 20 of those years working near her Morningside Heights home in the hospital’s outpatient department on the Upper West Side, where she has lived since 2002.

Angela Schramm is a nurse and diabetes educator at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital.

Once she received her diabetes certificate, she said, she began focusing most of her work on the disease, which currently includes individual patient consultations and a monthly group education session. However, Schramm said she has always been familiar with diabetes.

“It was just part of every nurse’s job,” she said. “It’s just such an epidemic that it’s rare to find a clinic that doesn’t have a large diabetic population.”

Schramm, 58, was born in Queens and has lived in New York all her life. She studied to become a nurse first at Queensborough Community College, before entering a Bachelor’s program at Dominican College to the north in Blauvelt.

For Schramm, moving to the Upper West Side eight years ago was a no-brainer.

“I’ve always felt very comfortable here, and I’m really happy now that I actually live here,” she said.

That community feeling includes a stronger connection with her patients—sometimes almost to a fault.

“It’s not uncommon to be on the bus with one of my patients and they’ll be talking about patient-related stuff,” she said, laughing. “I have to try to get them to separate that I’m not at work.”

Schramm has known many of her patients for a very long time.

“I see them in the store, I see them walking on Broadway,” she said. “It’s nice. It’s a very nice atmosphere to know your patients.”

Of course, these relationships aren’t always easy. A large part of Schramm’s job is helping her patients cope with diabetes, which she said was hard because “nobody wants to take medication” for a disease that’s not typically visible to the naked eye.

“So it’s an uphill battle, trying to get people to take care of themselves with preventive steps,” she said. “It’s rough to live with a chronic disease.”

A big part of that difficulty, oftentimes, is poverty. At a recent monthly meeting, Schramm spoke with her group about how they could shop at farmers markets that have come into prevalence in the city, instead of opting for less healthy options. But even those foods have become pricey, she said.

Her efforts can pay big dividends. When patients keep their blood sugars lower, it drastically reduces the risk of diabetic complications such as blindness and amputated limbs.

Schramm said her line of work is rewarding. Beyond her typical day job, she helps the clinic raise awareness of the disease on the annual World Diabetes Day in November. And after 9/11, she registered with the city’s Office of Emergency Management, through which she cared for victims of the H1N1 flu last year.

Outside of work, Schramm enjoys her patient-independent community life at Morningside Heights, as well. She enjoys a ceramics hobby and volunteering at a nearby retirement home.

“There’s a real community feeling to the Upper West Side in general,” she said.

By Felipe Cabrera

Derek Aucoin grew up watching the Expos as a child. He idolized players like Steve Rogers and Andre Dawson.

In July, he drove to Cooperstown to see Andre Dawson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“When I was 10, I got to meet Andre Dawson,” Aucoin said. “That was what changed my life.”

Aucoin, 40, is currently director of player development for the Baseball Center NYC, which he co-founded 10 years ago. He coaches teams and works with young players. Aucoin was born in 1970 in Lachine, Quebec. He is single and has been living in New York for 12 years. Aucoin was a member of the 1988 Canadian Junior Olympic Baseball team. He was in the Montreal Expos’ and the Mets’ systems for 10 seasons and played in two Major League games.

Derek Aucoin of the Baseball Center NYC has introduced kids to Yankees like Derek Jeter and Mariana Rivera

There are hundreds of players on the waiting list to be on his leagues for 8 to 15 year olds, according to the center’s website. His motto is “game ready,” a phrase he asks his players to keep in mind both on and off the field. One of Aucoin’s main goals is to teach his players the skills and self-confidence that it takes to succeed in life.

“Basically, the object of the business is to provide a safe environment where children can feel like they’re appreciated,” Aucoin said. Aucoin also runs camps and clinics through the center. Yankee stars such as Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera have each made appearances at his camps and clinics.

Aucoin believes professional athletes can provide a positive influence in the lives of young people, especially underprivileged youths. Something as minor as shaking hands with a Major Leaguer can provide the motivation that might eventually lead to achievement. Aucoin is involved with a program through the Major League Baseball Players Association that allows kids to meet former players.

“I actually did one [program] in Central Park, which was awesome,” Aucoin said. “Two hundred and fifty kids got to meet four former Yankees.”

Aucoin has previously helped organize fundraisers for the Mario Lemieux Foundation, the Pat Tillman Foundation and Helping Hands. He also created a program for a group of 28 autistic children with the New York Center for Autism Charter School.

“Derek took on the challenge two years ago to provide a weekly baseball instruction program on-site at our school,” Moira Cray, director of transitions and community outreach for the autism school, wrote in a testimonial letter. “He worked from a belief that everyone can benefit from learning to play baseball, and the program has been an unqualified success beyond our wildest hopes.”

Aucoin feels fortunate to still be involved with baseball.

“I’m just blessed to be able to do this,” Aucoin said. “What baseball gives me is this opportunity.”

By Rochana Rapkins

Upper West Side entrepreneur Nora Lavori purchased a crumbling building at 100 W. 80th St. in the late ’70s, when New York City real estate was at a low point. Asked what gave her the confidence to do it, she laughs.

“I was young,” she said.

Nora Lavori bought and preserved 100 W. 80th St., opened The Culture Center and is a co-founder of the Columbus Ave. Business Improvement District.

At the time, the Bryn Mawr College grad was a lawyer specializing in domestic relations, women’s issues and real estate. She was also the author of Living Together, Married or Single: Your Legal Rights. But when she and business partner David Sterling saw the opportunity to purchase the 100-year-old building that faces the American Museum of Natural History, they jumped on it.

“I ended up owning this historic property that was in derelict condition, as much of the Upper West Side buildings were,” said Lavori. “We brought it back to life.”

In addition to having served as one-time president of the Women’s City Club of New York, an organization established in 1915 to promote women’s suffrage and good government, Lavori launched The Culture Center in 1990. Housed inside the building she owns, the center hosts events designed to promote cultural exchanges and is also available for special events.

Lavori, who declined to give her age, is also a founding member of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District, which has organized tree plantings, sanitation efforts, holiday lightings and fundraising events.

“We brought Madison Ave. quality retailers to the UWS,” she said, “and that is something that has persisted over time.”

When she is not wearing one of her multiple hats, Lavori enjoys strolling around Central Park, popping into the New York Philharmonic and the ballet, sampling local eateries and attending events at the Bard Graduate Center on 86th Street. And she is a regular at the New-York Historical Society and the Natural History Museum, which should come as no surprise. Even as a child in public school on Staten Island, she was interested in historic architecture, and after winning an essay contest on historic preservation, she was awarded a prize from Mayor Abe Beame.

It was this love of history that motivated her purchase of the building that is now home to six retail shops and apartment rentals overlooking Central Park.

“What drove my interest was the quality of the historic structures,” she said. “They are so beautiful and so incredibly well-constructed. That is what motivated me—to see if I could find a new life for these beautiful buildings.”

By Gavin Aronsen

Harlem native Eva Moskowitz has spent most of her life with the New York education system, including a stint on the City Council advocating for its reform.

She’s currently in charge of the Harlem Success Academies, a group of charter schools that have received praise in Waiting for “Superman” and from Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and The New York Times.

Eva Moskowitz, a former councilmember who oversees seven charter schools, said she is concentrating on education now, but she might someday return to politics.

She founded the first academy in August 2006. Today, there are five charter schools in Harlem and two in the South Bronx. They are all part of the Success Charter Network, which she serves as CEO.

“I love kids and I love schooling,” Moskowitz said. “We spend a lot of time thinking about how to make school the most interesting, compelling place imaginable, and it’s really gratifying when kids love school.”

Moskowitz, 46, lives in New York with husband Eric Grannis, a former public school teacher whom she met while the two attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. The couple’s three children, like their parents, are growing up in the city’s public school system.

“We’re both pretty busy, working parents, so managing all that is a challenge, but we wouldn’t raise them anywhere else,” Moskowitz said. “I’m deeply engaged in their education and bedtime stories and all of the craziness of raising a family in New York.”

After she graduated high school, Moskowitz studied history at the University of Pennsylvania before going on to receive a PhD in American history at Johns Hopkins University.

She later become a professor of history and also taught at Prep for Prep, which provides preparatory coursework for minority students.

In the mid-1990s, Moskowitz shifted her focus to politics, and in 1999 she was elected to the New York City Council.

She was chosen to lead the Education Committee at the beginning of 2002 and held more than 100 oversight meetings during her time there, earning herself a reputation as a fierce fighter for school reform.

Then in 2005, she lost a bid to become Manhattan borough president and decided to return to education.

Moskowitz’s charter schools have generated their share of controversy—much of it from the United Federation of Teachers—largely over resource competition with other schools. But she said she simply wants an alternative to a bureaucracy-laden system and chalks disagreements up to politics.

“Charter schools have been somewhat controversial,” she said. “I’m not sure exactly why, because they’re public schools—they’re free from the bureaucracy of the district and free from the labor union contracts, so they are able to organize themselves around teaching and learning.”

More than 2,500 students receive their education at Moskowitz’s seven schools now, and the Success Charter Network has ambitious plans to open more than 30 more schools over the next 10 years.

“There are lots of challenges,” Moskowitz said. “Obviously we work very, very hard to find phenomenal teachers and school principals. That’s incredibly important to us.”

She stressed the importance of several trademarks of early education to children’s learning, including recess—“It’s really, really important for kids to get that release no matter what the weather is, unless it’s pouring rain”—and field trips, which her own children helped her learn.

“New York is a great place to raise kids because there’s so much to do,” she said. “At our schools we do three or more field trips a month. When you’re living in the greatest city on earth, if I may be so bold, with great ranges of cultural institutions and parks and just a lot to do, it’s important to get kids out and about. That’s something I’ve done as a mother and as a family.”

Of course, building students’ minds is the most important part of the academies’ mission. One novel program to accomplish that which Moskowitz highlighted was the teaching of chess to all their students, beginning in kindergarten.

“It’s a way to think strategically without language, and that is a very important part of thinking,” she explained.

Although she said she might think about a return to elected office later in life, for now Moskowitz said she intends to stay put at her current job.

“Right now, I am committed to ensuring that the schools are running at a high level,” she said, “and as you can imagine, it’s quite an undertaking to create a school and create many of them, all with extraordinary quality.”