Gotham Gal

MOUSE turns 15

Today marks the 15th year anniversary of MOUSE.  I was the first Chairperson of this organization in 1999.  I can't believe it has been 15 years.

MOUSE has grown up across the country and globe but it started right here in NYC. The original idea was to literally wire high schools.  We began by calling out to the tech community to come and help us crawl through the walls and wire Washington Irving High School. We wanted to close the digital divide.  At the same time we launched a variety of different programs. The one that really stuck was the MOUSE squad.  We hired and trained kids to be the IT people in their schools and paid them for this privelege.  We knew we were on to something.

Since 2000 more than 23000 students have participated in MOUSE programs, providing technical support and leadership for more than 1.8 million students, teachers and administrators in their schools and communities.  In 2012 more than 4200 students actively participated in MOUSE programs in 377 schools across the country. 

The outcome is 96% of the kids going through these programs have improved their communications, problem solving, team-building and leadership skills.  95% say it has increased their confidence.  92% believe they can make a difference in their community and the world.  87% are better prepared for college and 87% are more motivated to pursue a career in technology, math, science or engineering. We have provided a much needed opportunity for underserved youth by empowering the next generation of tech leaders and innovators. 

NYC has grown alot in the past 15 years and so has technology.  Our companies need more kids like the kids that go through MOUSE programs.  That was the thought way back when and it still is today.  I remember speaking to a room of 1000 people in our second year of MOUSE where we raised $1m towards our mission.  I spoke about how we needed to close the digital divide so my kids could compete with kids from around our city at the same level.  That these were the kids that we wanted to stay or return to NYC to work in our tech companies. We needed to provide them the tools to do that.  I have seen many return and make a difference...it is rewarding beyond belief. 

Full circle, 15 years later, Fred and I got behind the Academy of Software Engineering, a public high school devoted to STEM that opened this fall at the same site that MOUSE began, Washington Irving High School.  We are still devoted to the tech leaders of tomorrow.  We look forward to watching this new group of students go on to become confident leaders, determined college students and valued contributors in the professional world.

Just because I can't help myself.....if you would like to make a contribution to celebrate an incredible achievement of an organization that grew from a desire to close the digital divide...click here.   We have been supporting MOUSE from day one and I am honored to be part of such an amazing organization. 

2012 High Line Chef's Dinner

This is the smaller event that the High Line does every year.  Always happy to support the High Line.  This particular event took place at Colicchio & Sons where 8 other chefs set up their wares.  Have to say, I am kind of over this foodfest.  It is nice to taste a little of this and a little of that from all the different chefs but it is time to come up with another event....for everyone.  Everyone does it and I bet the chefs are sick of it too.

Regardless it was a good line-up.  Crispy chicken skin with tetilla and onion berries.  Totally different.  This was from Ken Oringer of Toro who is opening up soon in the Meat Packing area.

Orange duck shwarma on scallion pancakes with plum sauce and basil.  Love the schwarma.  James Tracey of Colicchio & Sons.

Smoked spice-rubbed pork sandwich on a ciabatta roll with a red onion jam and mustard sauce.  Ralf Kuttel of Rocket Pig.

Pork Kakuni Banh Mi in a pork bun.  Larry Finn of Morimoto.

Sweet chili crab dumplings with cilantro oil and heirloom bell peppers.  This was my fave.  I have to remember to get back to Perry Street.  Cedric Vongerichten of Perry St.

Soy cured salmon with cilantro creme fraiche and lime.  Anthony Ricco of Spice Market.

Muffuletta.  House made salami and mortadella, black olive tapenade, pimento peppadew relish and jack cheese on a sesame seed bun.  Marc Meyer of Cookshop.

Ruby red shrimp and calamari salad with avocado-cilantro sauce.  Dan Silverman of the Standard Grill.

Fun desserts from Stephen Collucci of Colicchio & Sons.  Chocolate with bananas and caramel popcorn pizza

S'mores pizza.

Pistachio spiced apple pizza with vanilla mascarpone.

Sweet goat cheese with black mission fig pizza. 

One more dessert.  Brown butter sour apricot semifreddo.  Brooks Headley of Del Posto.

Fun night.  Josh came with us which was a nice treat. 

DVF designs for the High Line

I have written about the High Line before.  It is near and dear to my heart.  The first time Fred and I walked the High LIne, there were basically weeds and graffiti up there but we both fell in love with the vision of what it could be.  It is truly awe inspiring what has happened up there.  A beautiful park that stretches the west side of Manhattan starting at Gansevoort St.  The High Line has changed the area, the traffic patterns and has become a destination spot for people coming to visit our town.  Of course the obvious which the High Line is another place to just enjoy being outside.  We are a public city and the more public places we have the better. 

So I am going to shamelessly promote the merchandise that Diane Von Furstenberg has designed for the High Line.  You can view the products here  Great scarves, bags, stationery and of course t-shirts. 

The High Line is completely funded by private funding so every dollar you give to the High Line keeps it up and running.  An incredible place that all of us get to enjoy....support the park and get a DVF goodie to boot.

donating

One of the most frustrating and difficult things about being a non-profit organization is the constant grind of raising money.  It is like having a little voice in your head every day saying "raise cash, raise cash".  It is one of the things that I find incredibly frustrating about the non-profit model.  I'd like to see every business be sustainable including ones in the non-profit world.  Many just can't be and will never be but some organizations do great things and their missions resonate with many donors.  Good thing.

Reddit Donate just launched a site that was built by Dwolla in partnership with Stripe that lists some of the (IMHO) top non-profits out there that are making a change.  Each organization has to be approved before getting on their list.  This site lets donors find an organization that they want to give to and they can.  Making is easier for the non-profit to raise funds and making it easier for donors to give.

Check it out.

 

 

A City Farmer, A Chef & A Host

Ben Leventhal asked me to co-chair an event with him for July 24th at our home.  The event was going to take place at 11 homes that evening around the city.  Each home would have a chef from one of the restaurants who signed up for this to come cook in your home, a city farmer (and yes there are many) and a host.  How could I resist?

More important, the event was meant to support two important organizations; Just Food and The Sylvia Center.  Just Food connects with communities to make fresh food more accessible to all NYers.  The Sylvia Center is a garden-to-table program that educates young people to understand good nutrition through healthy eating. 

At our home we were incredibly lucky to have Andrew Carmellini prepare us an amazing meal.  He is also a super nice guy. Here he is with LIz Neumark, who can not be described in one sentence but for this event I will say she is the woman who began The Sylvia Center.

Our city farmer was Karen Washington from La Femilia Verde.  A salt of the earth human being who has taken her passion for good healthy food to her local community in the Bronx.  An advocate for green markets to build healthier neighborhoods.  She is impressive to say the least. 

We had a group of 14 people.  Some people I knew while others just chose which home they would love to go to and ended up at ours.  A really nice group of people.  SO...what did we eat?

 We began with a peach vodka cocktail and some passed starters.  Shots of gazpacho.  I love that.  Just a nice long sip.

Beef tartare crostini.  Not for everyone but I have always been a fan.

Thinly sliced raw fish.  A crudo on crostini.

Our first course used Karen's organic eggs from her farm.  One perfectly cooked sunny side up egg on top of a local eggplant agro-picante with few pieces of shaved Parmigiano and a few bitter greens under the cheese.  Eggs that are fresh like that have an entirely different taste.  Mixed together with a roasted eggplant mixture is a nice summer starter.

We had two pastas for the next course which was served family style.  Sweet corn ravioli with smoked local tomatoes, hen of woods mushrooms and a little bit of truffle.  Wow.  Super sweet kernels of corn stuffed into a thin pasta is pretty spectacular.  Tastes like summer.

The other pasta was a mixture of clams, baby squid, ruby red shrimps and long spiral pastas which really hold the sauce well.  Yum.

Our second round was grilled Block Island swordfish with roasted artichokes, new potatoes and peperonata and a hint of lemon.  Another classic Italian summer dish.

Many don't love quail but I like it.  Roasted quail served with an organic polenta, swiss chard, chanterelles and roasted caramelized black missions figs. 

This dessert was so good that I literally licked the plate clean.  A blueberry compote on a honey upside-down cake with a butter milk cream on top.  The cake was incredibly moist.  I tried to just have a bite but before I knew it I had the whole thing!

All of our wine this evening was donated from Bedell Cellars.  White, red and rose from 2010 and 2011. 

Loved the whole evening.  Big fan of both Just Food and The Sylvia Center.  Glad to see so many people supporting their efforts around healthy eating.  What I really liked is how there were eleven of these exact same type of meals taking place around the city the same night.  Very well organized and efficient which says something about the organization too.  I'd most definitely do something like this again. 

Girls Who Code

Please meet the next generation of the tech world.  It is these lovely young women sitting in a room in Chelsea learning how to code, think big and become engineers. 

Reshma Saujani, who founded Girls Who Code is showing all of us how to make a difference in kids lives.  She is also running for NYC public advocate.  Her passion for getting girls interested in technology and reaching across the divide is impressive...and she is making a difference doing what she talks about.  In addition to the team is Kristen Titus, the executive director, who is smart, passionate and cares deeply about making a different in others lives. 

The program is to inspire young women, 13-17 learn the skills it takes to be successful in engineering and technology now and in the future. 

There is something reminiscent of MOUSE.  They are actually going to work with MOUSE but there is something exciting and disruptive about Girls Who Code just as MOUSE was in the mid-90's. 

I believe the message to these girls should be to take what they learned and do something with it.  Your knowledge of being able to code makes you special.  You now have a skill that will help you as you move forward in your lives.  Be it working in a large company or starting your own company (after college) that you should follow your heart, follow your passions and be confident in your abilities. The sky is the limit.

If this next group of girls can walk out feeling like they rule then there is no doubt you are looking at the next generation of young women in the tech world. 

 

 

Spark a Movement

I went to my bff's house to learn about an issue that she has always been riled up about, the sexualization of girls in the media.  She is involved in an organization that is actually helping change that.  It is called Spark Summit with the tagline Spark a Movement. 

Just like our eating habits changed in the 70's when we got really good at making delicious high calorie fake food the sexualization of girls and women has changed too.  If you take a look at old magazines such as Seventeen in the 70's, you do not see photoraphs geared towards sexuality like we do today. 

What separates this organization is that it was built because of findings through research.  For instance, those sexy ads that supposedly make women feel good about themselves actually make women bad about their own bodies. 

Awhile ago there was a big controversary around Legos creating pink toys that were submissive and directly geared towards young girls.  Spark got involved and found themselves talking with the top people at Lego about why they should not be creating legos that are gender based for the princess in them.  They listened. There was recently a controvery surrounding Seventeen magazine where a young woman complained about the photoshopping of every girls in Seventeen magazine.  Once again, Spark got involved and that woman spoke directly to Seventeen.  BTW, there have been articles written about how Seventeen undermines young women for years.

Here is the mission: SPARK is a girl-fueled activist movement to demand an end to the sexualization  of women and girls in media. We're collaborating with hundreds of girls 13-22 and more than 60 national organizations to reject the commodified, sexualized images of girls in media and support the development of girls' healthy sexuality and self-esteem.

This is no doubt that this is an issue that ties back directly into posts I have written about women needing to be more confident in pitching their businesses and not making sure that every single T is crossed and every single I is dotted before they move forward.  Take control of your desinty.  Here it is about women taking control of the media.  This group has decided to be the champions of something that we all know exist. 

Glad to see someone is finally saying that ads like the one above is just not ok or more little girls are going to be believe that at 4 being sexy is the only way they are going to move forward in life or get attention. 

The food at the High Line is open for summer

I love the High Line.  Fred and I walked the High Line when it was still the train tracks with lots of weeds and we both got so excited about what it could be.  Well now it is.  An elevated public park with art installations and  lots of good food.  As always, I want to be transparent that since we made that walk, I spent a lot of time talking with both Joshua David and Robert Hammond who were the true executors of this dream come true over the years and eventually they reeled me in and I now sit on the board.  A true honor. Just a fyi, the park is funded by private funding so every dollar counts.  

This week the food trucks are open and ready to go.  The trees are full, the flowers are blooming and there is art to see.

Melt Bakery for some delicious ice cream sandwiches.

Peoples Pops

Bark for hot dogs

Northern Spy

Taco Truck

L'Arte de Gelato

Terroir Wine Bar has a sweet spot for dining.  We had lunch there.

Lemony beets covered with chopped hazelnuts

Mixed green salad with veggies of the season

Amazing veal meatballs

Love this huge art installation you can see as you stroll down the High Line

La NewYorkina

Seeing these 3 unique buildings from the elevated view is what makes NYC so awesome.

High Line zoo that an artist put up outside his apartment. 

Charles Kubricht installation.

A seriously long walk from Gansevoort all the way to the end and back again...and never a stop light but the ability to take in the views, smell the trees and just enjoy the great outdoors.  I can hardly wait until the last section opens next year. 

 

 

the power of good

I rarely use this blog to write about events worth supporting.  Everyone has an organization that they support, in one way or another, and once a year there is always some type of function or fundraising effort.  I applaud everyone for supporting something they are passionate about in their lives that gives back in some way to the community. 

Today I am going to promote an event that not only is important but this particular organization was established because of a terrible tragedy.  I actually have a hard time putting typing these words without tears coming to my eyes.  Last December there was a tragic fire in North Stamford where a house went up quickly in flames.  It was a tragedy of significant errors and 3 young sisters including their Grandparents died.  Left standing, was their father, Matt Badger.  They were staying at his x-wifes home on Christmas Eve.  She survived the fire.

Matt has worked with my brother for more than a decade.  When we found out the news, we were all shell-shocked.  How can you even begin to process what had happened.  All of our hearts ached and still ache for Matt. 

In the aftermath, Matt put his energies into something good, something that allowed him to heal.  He did not want his daughters to be forgotten.  He set up a foundation called LilySarahGrace to support the thing his daughters loved most, the arts.  The money that this organization raises will go directly into supporting the arts in public elementaries across the country. 

Giving back always makes me feel good.  It is the power of that which will hopefully help Matt get up everyday and turn this heartbreaking tragedy into something good for other young girls around the country who have a passion for the art.

World Give Day

Give Forward is hosting a blog with a series of posts on World GIve Day.  One day a year to give to the causes that you care about the most.  

The prompt is: “Small gift, big impact: tell us about a time when you saw a small act of giving create lots of unexpected joy.”

Fred and I give to a variety of things but the thing that we really care about and have focused on is NYC.  We have sat or sit on the boards of NYU, the High Line, Academy for Software Engineering, Donors Choose, MOUSE and Hot Bread Kitchen.  All of these organizations impact the community we live in.  The long tail (we hope) is that these organizations will impact other places around the globe and peoples lives. 

I have been fortunate to meet several women around the globe that are making an impact in peoples lives and their own communities.  I wrote about Mathylde Frontus a few weeks ago and felt great when I wrote a check out to Urban Neighborhood Services to help her organization continue the good work. I have also written about Give Forward, Catchafire, Dress for Success/Do Something/Crisis Text Line, Deal Gooder, Goods4Goods and Baking for Good.  Each of these organizations have powerhouse women behind them doing social good. 

Another woman I wrote about awhile ago was Sally Broom.  Sally wrote to me this past week about an organization that she is passionate about called Charity Gift Market, where every gift has a story.  This marketplace is social entrepreneurship at its best.  Each object you can purchase at this site tells a story of the person or organization that made the product from around world and how your purchase goes towards the charity that made it.  True entrepreneurs at work.  Making products for revenue that support their mission. 

Here is one that Sally sent me that I thought was a great example of where to put your dollars for a gift for anyone or Mothers Day.  What is most impressive is how the Internet has changed the way we can give, purchase and make a difference in others lives. 

Fatima has emerged as a mentor at Bead Amigas, a charity in rural Nicaragua, by possessing a great artistic eye and being focused. Although Fatima's husband holds a regular job, the slim wages he earns working in the fields do not go far for a family of six. In addition to their two young sons, Fatima's niece and grandfather also live in their two bedroom home. Since selling her jewelry with Bead Amigas, Fatima has been able to save enough money to build an addition onto her home, purchase a refrigerator and start a small store. With the help of business classes, her store is now flourishing as the only place within miles that offers cold beverages and frozen meats. Her biggest dream - and one that is now possible with Bead Amigas - is for her children to be able to continue going to school and be successful. 

Alick is an orphaned boy from the streets of Malawi, Africa. Poverty and the AIDS pandemic destroyed his family and cast him to begging in the streets for survival. Thankfully, UrbanPromise International is now providing for all of Alick's needs. A home, hot meals, and encouragement to attend school everyday has turned Alick's life around and has provided hope. Through the sale of bracelets and necklaces to raise additional funds for their schooling fees, the boys at the SafeHaven Orphanage have taken control of their lives and futures.

On Sunday, May 13th, mothers all over the world will be honored. Whether it is a time to hug and say 'thank you', or a moment of remembrance, Mother's Day is a day we all celebrate. This year, CharityGiftMarket is where you can now shop for a beautiful gift and support a charity; a gift that can connect you and your mother to a mother like Fatima; a gift that will not only brighten your mother's day but can provide a brighter future for a child like Alick. Visit CharityGiftMarket.com to shop for gifts Made by Moms, for gifts that showMotherly Love, and gifts that Any Mother Would Love.  Make this Mother's Day special!