Member of the Month

Kelly Davis has been instrumental to nycTIES and our success. Hearing about the organization through her friend and nycTIES events planner, Erica Kasperkowiak, she joined the communications team last year.  She now heads the team and has made great strides getting new communications team members engaged, building our social media strategies, and working on PR for the organization.  Thank you, Kelly, for building the infrastructure we need to change.

1. How did you find out about nycTIES ?
My good friend Erica Kasperkowiak, who heads up our events team, encouraged me to get involved because she’d had such a great experience with the group.

2 What has been your favorite charity to work with and why?
IHDF-NY – they’re the first charity partner I’ve worked with from the very beginning, and I really respect and admire the work they do for kids in our city.

3. What is your favorite nycTIES memory?
Manning the door at last year’s Gala: I got to see all my favorite TIES people and meet lots of alumni and new members (of course, it’s easy to make friends when you’re the girl with the drink tickets)!

4. What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined
The friendships and experiences I’ve built through TIES exceeded my expectations, but I’ve also discovered some great new NYC spots as a result of our activities, meetings and happy hours – most recently Harding’s restaurant in the Flatiron District.

5. What are three of your favorite NYC spots
Irving Farm coffee shop on the Upper West Side
The Central Park reservoir running trail
The Strand bookstore

6. Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase
Keys, lip balm, iPhone

7. Favorite restaurant
Co Ba in the West Village

8. Favorite Facebook photo of yourself (attach in addition to your picture if appropriate)
Whenever I see this photo I sing in my head, “bridesmaid in a little chair” (to the tune of “fat guy in a little coat” from Tommy Boy)

9. Best concert you have ever been to
Better Than Ezra at the Trocadero in Philadelphia

10. If you could meet anyone, who would it be
Nora Ephron. Even though she’s no longer with us, she’s my total idol as a writer and a classic New York City gal with gumption.

11. What is one of your life goals?
To be a published author (or audition for The Voice and have Blake Shelton and Adam Levine fight over me for their teams – whichever comes first).

12. What’s the next vacation you want to take
I’ve heard incredible things about New Zealand and would love to visit that part of the world!

13. Three things your family would say we might not know about you
a. I had a childhood celebrity doppelganger: the little girl from Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda
b. I’m a solid baker but a mediocre (at best) cook
c. The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie of all time

14. Who is the love of your life
Seth Rogen. My friends make fun of me, but I’m a sucker for a sturdy-looking guy with a great sense of humor.

15. Who is your favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?
(See above)

16. Hobbies
Reading, running, intramural volleyball, singing

17. Tobias or Gob (Arrested Development reference)
I don’t watch it but with a name like Gob he’s gotta be an underdog, so let’s say Gob.

18. If another nycTIES member were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?
I would lobby hard for one of our fab newbies, Dana Abrams, to play me – she’s got infectious enthusiasm and an acting background, so it’s a win-win!

Dani has become an nycTIES all star.  We featured her in September as our “New Member Profile” and she has risen through the ranks quickly to become Member of the Month.  Volunteering at almost every event since she joined, Dani also participates in the Project Management Team where she coordinates volunteer events.  She is specifically working on the Power Hour series where nycTIES members teach Dreamers skills they will need for their professional endeavors.  Thank you Dani for being such a loyal, friendly and fun member.

How did you find out about nycTIES ?
My friend, Emily Fabre, introduced me to nycTIES.

What has been your favorite charity to work with and why?
Like Brianna, FedCap was actually the first charity I’ve worked with and I had a lot of fun. I’m very much looking forward to working with IHAD-NY this year and the good times ahead.

What is your favorite nycTIES memory?
Painting the stairwell for FedCap and the potluck BBQ afterward. It was so much fun and such a team effort! Not to mention the amazing food that everyone made.

What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined?
I didn’t expect to meet so many incredible young professionals and kids. nycTies and the organizations we partner with are a lot bigger than I had imagined and it’s so encouraging and energizing to see how many people get involved.

What are three of your favorite NYC spots?
a) Central Park! I’m from California and what I miss the most about the state is all the nature–Central Park is how I get my NYC nature fix.
b) Grand Central, particularly the Great Hall and the market; they’re both just stunning.
c) Try not to be too incredulous, but Times Square. It’s the epitome of tourist New York City and it always reminds me that I’m actually in New York City.

Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase.
A green pen, sunglasses, and strawberry Chapstick (chapstick seems to be a staple item for us nycTIES ladies).

Favorite restaurant:
Little Owl. Everything is delicious!

Favorite Facebook photo of yourself (attach in addition to your picture if appropriate): A picture with my best friend/roommate spent at an incredible, fun (and free) event–thank you, Yelp! (I promise Yelp isn’t paying me for that endorsement!)

Best concert you have ever been to:
An outdoor, musical concert I stumbled upon while I was in Bath, England.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
My grandfather on my mom’s side. He lived such an incredible life and I would love the chance to talk to him.

What is one of your life goals?
To acquire and edit my own book. And in fact, I just acquired a book a week ago, edits to come….

What’s the next vacation you want to take?
Well, I’m off to Italy next month, so, Italy. But after that, I’d love to go to Greece or back to London.

Three things your family would say we might not know about you.
a) I love Disney.
b) I’ve wanted to be an editor since the age of twelve.
3) The most unusual pets I’ve ever had were toads.

Who is the love of your life?
Do sweets count?

Who is you favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?
I try not to play favorites.

Hobbies:
reading (luckily for me and my job!), wandering the city, napping in the park (when it’s nice out), and people watching

Tobias or Gob (Arrested Development reference).
Sooooo…I’ve never seen Arrested Development. Get to know me and let me know who I remind you of! (Of course, you’ll have to explain why.)

If another nycTIES member were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?
Haha, I’m not sure my life is interesting enough to warrant a movie.

In this month of Love, we are loving Brianna Magagnoli.  After attending a few volunteer events, Brianna joined the Project Management team where she planned an exquisite and exciting trip to the MoMA that Fedcap students and their families loved.   Transitioning to this year, she attended charity selection meetings to help us find IHAD-NY and is now planning even more engaging volunteer events for our Dreamers.  Brianna is always a fun, smiling face who truly listens to the needs of our charity partners.  As a fellow leader stated, she “always has great ideas, thoughtful feedback and questions, and is, overall, an enthusiastic, committed member!”  Thanks, Brianna, for bringing such life to nycTIES.

1. How did you find out about nycTIES?

Elise King told me all about nycTIES when we met at the shopping party she won. A few months later I reached out to her and got involved!

2. What has been your favorite charity to work with and why?

FedCap is the first charity I’ve gotten to work with, and they were great! I loved how enthusiastic they were about having us, and how grateful they were for everything. The kids and adults were so receptive to the programs we led, and it was so inspiring to work with them.

3. What is your favorite nycTIES memory?

The fashion show with Chelton Loft was great. All of the members were super excited to walk the catwalk…their ear to ear smiles were priceless.

4. What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined?

I think I am getting exactly what I wanted out of it. I’ve met great people and am feeling great about all the work we do for these charities. I’m so excited for 2013 with IHAD-NY!

5. What are three of your favorite NYC spots?

1. Brooklyn Museum 2. Saturday morning farmers market 3. Prospect Park

6. Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase:

Chapstick, at least 3 magazines (NYmag, RealSimple, Nat Geo), Gum

7. What is your favorite restaurant ?

Frankies

8. Best concert you have ever been to:

Steel Pulse in Prospect Park

9. What is one of your life goals?

Travel every continent

10. What’s the next vacation you want to take?

Japan- inspired by Jiro Dreams of Sushi…I have to go to that restaurant!

11. Things your family would say about you:
1. I was afraid of the whale in Pinocchio as a child
2. I used to want to be a meteorologist
3. I’m a great cook

12. Who is the love of your life? All of my baby cousins…cutest kids ever!

13. Who is your favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?

Though I think Sunday’s Super Bowl performance solidifies her amazingness, I’ll go with Leonardo DiCaprio

14. Hobbies:

Yoga, reading, cooking, DIY house projects,

15. Tobias or Gob (Arrested Development reference)

Gob

16. If another nycTIES member were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why? errrrrr

When she’s not starring on stage, Jaime has been a star at nycTIES.  As a member of this year’s Charity Management Team, Jaime took charge of the inspiring Mind Over Matter Wellness Workshop for Fedcap’s young adults.  She arranged for the youth program to have an invigorating workout with an IntenSati pro and receive advice from a Weight Watchers coach.  Jaime bolted into 2013 by leading the charity selection team and helping us find our 2013 partner–I Have a Dream.   A huge thank you to Jaime for strengthening Fedcap, steering our future with IHAD, and always being a great source of energy.

1. How did you find out about nycTIES?

I attended an nycTIES happy hour with my friend Melanie Friedson, that we heard about through our friend Amanda Ernst.  Met some really great people, busted a few moves like Jagger, and the rest is history…

2 What has been your favorite charity to work with and why?

Being that I’ve only been a member within the past year, that’s an easy one… FedCap, of course!  From the incredibly enthusiastic staff to the people enrolled in FedCap’s programs, they have truly been a pleasure to work with, and I am so grateful to have gotten involved when I did.

3. What is your favorite nycTIES memory?

Melanie and I spearheaded a Mind Over Matter Wellness Workshop for the young adults…  We were leery that they would be hesitant to participate and, in the beginning, many were.  But, by the time things got rolling there was not one person in the room who wasn’t laughing or smiling.  It was incredible to watch their transformation in such a short period of time… And, as they were leaving, many of the youth stayed behind to ask how they could get involved in a program like that again!

4. What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined?

Such an emotional attachment to the people we serve.  I felt such a connection to several of the youth during both the Wellness Workshop and the FedCap Networking Event that when both were over, I was brought to tears.

5. What are three of your favorite NYC spots

Central Park (either Sheep’s Meadow or in a rowboat on the lake), Stone Street, and the 40/40 Club!

6. Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase

a set of keys so large you might think I am a janitor, Burt’s Bee’s pomegranate chapstick and Kai perfume

7. Favorite restaurant

Kelly’s in Prince Edward Island, Canada…  but if we’re sticking with NYC, I’d say Rosa Mexicano

8. Favorite Facebook photo of yourself

9. Best concert you have ever been to

It’s a toss up between *NSYNC “No Strings Attached” and Maroon 5 and Train at Jones Beach

10. If you could meet anyone, who would it be

JOHN STAMOS

11. What is one of your life goals?

To hike to the top of Mount Bigelow in the Bigelow Mountain region in the state of Maine.  (And to meet John Stamos.)

12. What’s the next vacation you want to take

Something tropical… Although Australia is the big goal!

13. Three things your family would say we might not know about you

I’m a severe over-packer, I am known to burst into song at any given moment, and I really really loathe rodents.

14. Who is the love of your life

Barack Obama

15. Who is your favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?

Ellen DeGeneres

16. Hobbies

singing in cabarets, kayaking, watching anything created by John Roberts, going to see live music of ALL kinds!

17. Tobias or Gob (Arrested Development reference)

Gob – although I’m not sure I’ve seen enough episodes to have a truly legitimate opinion.

18. If another nycTIES member were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?

Melanie Friedson – because she has known me longer than anyone in nycTIES AND can do the most accurate impressions of anyone I know!

Since discovering nycTIES at our February team speed dating event, Carlene has donated much of her professional expertise to the Fedcap youth in nycTIES Aspiration Series. Helping to organize our Connect to Careers event, Carlene assisted in initiating one of the best events in our history with 45 Fedcap youth learning about the careers of various nycTIES members in a speed dating-like fashion. It all comes full circle. Then she and Alissa Lentz organized a 3-lecture series branding workshop to explain the importance of branding oneself through social media to the teens. Furthermore, she even connected us to a fellow journalist who wrote a great article on nycTIES and our 2011 charity partner, the GO Project in Downtown Express Read It Here. Thank you, Carlene, for sharing your media expertise with us and Fedcap.

How did you find out about nycTIES?
My good friend Alissa Lentz said she had heard about the charity and invited me down to one of the early sessions where nycTIES chose which charity to partner with. I loved the idea and wanted to be a part of nycTIES to help in anyway that I could.

What is your favorite nycTIES memory?
I’ve only worked with FEDCAP so far and I love it! The young people are so cool and receptive. I worked on a brand workshop for them with Alissa and Elise King, we had so much fun. The young people were so wonderful to work with, they listened intently and thanked us at the end of each session.
My favorite memory is trying to take photos in Central Park of birds for the scavenger hunt and having them fly away every time.

What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined
Great friends! I loved the Central Park scavenger hunt and met some really cool nycTIES volunteers. I also love that the young people from FEDCAP who are only a few years younger than me would be interested in what I had to say- it’s a great experience to interact with people and learn from them, as they learn from you.

What are three of your favorite NYC spots
Grand Central station, Bryant Park and Prospect Park.

Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase
My die hard, much loved Blackberry, lipgloss and a notebook.

Favorite restaurant
Miss Lily’s Caribbean restaurant in Manhattan

Best concert you have ever been to
A free concert at Governors Island and seeing Jay Z play Hyde Park in London.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
Kanye West

What is one of your life goals?
To write a NYTimes best seller

Lydia has quickly become an nycTIES all-star. After finding us online, she joined the charity project management to help plan volunteer events. Her first experience was The Amazing Race in Central Park on April 6th where she helped create the plans for the race and coordinate all the Fedcap youth and nycTIES members the day-of. Next, she helped coordinate one of the best events in our history–Connect to Careers. Over 25 nycTIES members boadened the horizons of over 45 Fedcap teens as they shared advice on careers in media, marketing, real estate, finance, nursing and much more. The energy in the room was amazing as the students eagerly listened to advice. The event was such a success that Fedcap has asked us to conduct the workshop again. Thank you, Lydia, for planning such engaging volunteer events that have enabled us and our charity partner to meet our highest potential.

1. How did you find out about nycTIES ?
I had actually just moved to NYC at the time and was looking to find community here. To that end, I had signed up for a few volunteer groups to start getting involved around the city. Not surprisingly, nycTIES was the only group that stuck for me.

2 What has been your favorite charity to work with and why?
I’ve only been involved with Fedcap since joining nycTIES, which has been great to work with so far. .

3. What is your favorite nycTIES memory?
Seeing the Fedcap youth share what they learned from the Connect2Careers event. It was so rewarding and inspiring to hear their excitement.

4. What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined?
I expected to gain valuable experiences from volunteering with nycTIES, but I didn’t expect to meet so many remarkable and fun volunteers. This is truly a fantastic group of people.

5. What are three of your favorite NYC spots?
The High Line, Frying Pan, and Telegraphe Cafe in Chelsea

6. Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase
iPhone, a magazine for my daily commute, and business cards from restaurants I visited recently (how I remember ones I liked)

7. Favorite restaurant
New York has too many restaurants to play favorites. Recently, though, I’ve been loving Red Farm.

8. Best concert you have ever been to
I somehow got into a private performance by OneRepublic in Boston where I stood right in front of the stage. Amazing!

9. If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
Milton Glaser. I’m a bit of a design junkie

10. What is one of your life goals?
Live in a non-English-speaking country for at least a year.

11. What’s the next vacation you want to take?
I’m headed to London in a month for a long overdue vacation.

12. Who is you favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?
I don’t think there are any other acceptable answers.

13. Hobbies
Exploring new restaurants in New York, graphic/digital design (been working recently on a web app), and roadtrips

Emily has been instrumental in our most recent volunteering events.  First of all, she helped organize The Amazing Race in Central Park for the Fedcap youth.  Building an event that combined work and play, the teens in this competitive scavenger hunt scoured the park for random things like strange hats while receiving career advice from nycTIES members.  Furthermore, she provided resume building and interview skills to Fedcap members in our inaugural Power Hour as well as the one this week.  Attendees left feeling empowered and more prepared for their job sesrches.  Thank you, Emily, for creating and participating in volunteer events that improve the lives of our partners at Fedcap.

1. How did you find out about nycTIES? Through my friend, Erica Bossen.

2. What has been your favorite charity to work with and why? I just joined this year, but I’ve really enjoyed working with Fedcap.

3. What is your favorite nycTIES memory? Running around Central Park on the photo scavenger hunt for the Amazing Race.

4. What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined? I wasn’t sure what to expect. My fellow volunteers are a fantastic group of smart, interesting people and it’s been a great experience getting to know everyone.

5. What are three of your favorite NYC spots? Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Hudson River Park, my apartment

6. Name three things we would find in your purse or briefcase? Kindle full of manuscripts, The Economist, chapstick

7. Favorite restaurant? Completely depends on my mood. I love to try new places.

8. Best concert you have ever been to? – Neil Diamond (admittedly a bit hokey, but it was my first and I had a blast)

9. What’s the next vacation you want to take? Italy! Some day . . .

10. Hobbies – Reading, walking around the city and exploring, dancing

Bear Duker hit nycTIES ground running.  After discovering us through his NBA co-worker, Erica Bossen, he quickly joined the charity project management team.  Here he has started a whole new aspect of our Aspiration Series-nycTIES Power Hour-in which he leads members in advising Fedcap youth on their resumes and job interviewing skills.  Furthermore, he has undertaken the huge volunteer project of helping us turn the Fedcap roof into a farm-to-table roof garden for their culinary students.  Volunteering his professional skill sets, time, and charisma, Bear has already helped us make a lasting-impact on the people of Fedcap.  Thank you, Bear, and be sure to rock his next Power Hour on Tuesday, May 29th, from 6-7 at Fedcap.

How did you find out about nycTIES?
Erica Bossen!

What is your favorite nycTIES memory?
My first event, nycTIES Breaking the Ice. It was great to see the impact nycTIES can have

What’s something you have gained from nycTIES that you did not expect to gain when you joined?
Real life experience talking and educating a large group of people

What are three of your favorite NYC spots?
Blondies, M-15, Standard Beergarden

Favorite restaurant?
Blue Ribbon

Best concert you have ever been to?
Dave Matthews Band at Fenway Park

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
Ben Franklin

What’s the next vacation you want to take?
Turks and Caicos

Three things your family would say we might not know about you
I eat very fast, I love movies, and I am extremely clean

Who is you favorite celebrity besides Beyonce?
Lionel Messi and Mark Wahlberg

Hobbies
Playing soccer, watching sports, being outside, grilling, snowboarding, travelling, reading, and playing Scrabble

Tobias or Gob (Arrested Development reference)
Gob