Millie to be Honored !
Article by: Gianella Perez
Photos by: Susan Nagib of Susa Designs
photo Left to right: (Milijana "Millie" Radonjic-Ilich, Vera Koppel, Kyra "Ms. J" Johnson, Liz Aiello, Stephanie Roth)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2018 Women of Excellence Honorees Meet in Preparation for the Gala in November
New Rochelle, NY - July 12th, 2018 - The New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce hosted a meet & greet for the nominees that will be honored at its 16th Annual Women of Excellence awards later in the year. The meet and greet was held at Anna and Jack’s Treehouse located in downtown New Rochelle on 138 Centre Ave.
The New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce announced the honorees of the upcoming 2018 Women of Excellence Awards as follows:
* Vera Koppel of Ruach is to receive the Muriel Zaukas Lifetime Achievement Award.
* Liz Aiello of Sirius Radio will receive Business and Professional Award.
* Milijana "Millie" Radonjic-Ilich of Hudson Park Children’s Green House and Amy’s Greenhouse will receive the Community Outreach Award.
* Kyra Johnson of New Beginnings Performing Arts Studio will receive the Entrepreneurship Award.
* Stephanie Roth of Kid’s Kloset will receive the Community Leadership Award.
Each nominee got the chance to familiarize with each other - they shared their careers & life stories with each other and answered the question of how they felt about being nominated. The one word that they all had in common: “honored.”
Vera Koppel, was very surprised and deeply touched to have been nominated.
Stephanie Roth, who will be receiving her award for her work with the Kids Kloset said because this is her passion she feels fulfilled when she hears from families and social workers or when she sees a picture of a little girl twirling around in a dress donated by her organization. However, she felt being recognized for the work that she does “is very flattering.”
Kyra Johnson said it was a “blessing to know that there are people in the community who believe in me....it means the world to me.” She also mentioned how joyous and grateful she was knowing that [the values] she built New Beginnings on “has touched so many lives”.
The Chamber of Commerce had previous Women of Excellence honorees at the meet & greet to share their experiences with the upcoming honorees. Christina Rubicco, last year’s honoree of the Entrepreneur of the Year award, said the actual Award Dinner was “exciting” and “overwhelming.” “Having all these people around you that feel so proud of you and are so happy to honor you... was a great experience overall.”
Chris Selin, also last year’s honoree of the Muriel Zaukas Lifetime Achievement award, said she felt like the “queen for the day” when she was recognized. “My family was there, and they were just so impressed.”
The Women of Excellence award dinner is a ceremony hosted by the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce to acknowledge women who not only strive to better their community and the lives of those around them, but also are building strong relationships between citizens of their neighborhoods.
The Women of Excellence Award Dinner will take place on November 1st, 2018 at The Surf Club of the Sound here in New Rochelle at 280 Davenport Ave. 6:00 – 7:00 pm Cocktail Hour, Dinner & Awards Ceremony 7:00-10:00 pm. Early Bird ticket pricing for the event is $125 per person. Sponsorships and journal advertisements are also available for purchase. For more information regarding the event, call (914) 632-5700 or email JLanser@newrochamber.org.
###