Written by: Charlotte Lipman, 2018 Trailblazer
On December 5th, guests gathered for the 26th JAR Annual Tribute Gala to celebrate a shared passion for making New York City a better and safer place. In accepting the Reisenbach Lifetime Achievement Award for Service to New York City, Bill Bratton, former NYPD commissioner and current Executive Chairman and Senior Managing Director of Teneo Risk, perfectly captured the sentiment of the evening: “It isn’t just the cops, it isn’t just the politicians, it’s all of you and your support of organizations like this.”
All of you included JAR Board Members and Gala Co-Chairs Paul Caine of Tremor Video and Sarah Personette of Facebook who welcomed guests to Tribeca 360, the festive venue in Lower Manhattan. 14 JAR Board Members, with rose boutonnieres neatly affixed, were present to commemorate over a quarter century of supporting safety, security, and a better quality of life throughout New York.
All of you included distinguished honorees who were presented Citizenship Awards for their dedication to improving New York City. While Visa CMO Kim Kadlec may not currently live in New York and Scott Hagedorn may hail from elsewhere, the evening’s honorees expressed how connected they feel to the city. iHeartMedia’s connections run deep with both Tim Castelli, President of National Sales, Marketing & Partnerships and program Z100 receiving recognition. In her acceptance speech, Shelley Zalis, CEO of the Female Quotient, reaffirmed the power of you: “The legacy that you leave behind is measured by the lives that you touch.”
All of you also included the Trailblazer Council, a growing committee of young professionals eager to support and advance the cause. This was the first gala attended by some of the Trailblazers, including me. It was a truly rewarding experience. The event demonstrated that without all of you there is no us and, as a lifelong New Yorker, I am most grateful to be part of this community. It is exciting to be among a group of people who support the city through generous grants to organizations like Safe Horizon, The Point, and the New York City Police Foundation. The sentiments shared in the room on December 5th and all of you have made this new Trailblazer especially proud to honor the legacy of John A. Reisenbach.
