CLUSTER Community Services To Honor Three Outstanding Women At This Year's Harvest Tasting Gala

CLUSTER Community Services will be holding their 11th Annual Harvest Tasting Gala to honor three outstanding Westchester County women, including one of their own on Thursday, October 19, 2017 at renowned celebrity Chef Peter Kelly’s X2O Xaviars on Hudson, 71 Water Grant Street, Yonkers, NY 10701. This year’s outstanding honorees are New York State Senator Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins; New York State Assemblywoman Hon. Shelley Mayer, both of which will be receiving the Community Spirit Award, and outgoing Executive Director Toni Volchok who will be receiving the Rev. Burt Ulrich Founders Award, after over 3 decades of service to CLUSTER Community Services.

‘We are excited and looking forward to our 11th Annual Harvest Tasting Gala,” said Tom Roth, Board President. “The individuals selected for this year’s awards are stellar examples of advocates for the underserved and are leaders in our community. This year’s honorees are also strong supporters of CLUSTER’s work.”

Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins is a New York State Senator for the 35th District and is the current leader of the Senate Democratic Conference. Senator Stewart-Cousins was born and raised in New York and began her career in public service in 1992 as the first African American to serve as the Director of Community Affairs in the City of Yonkers, before serving as a Westchester County Legislator from 1996-2006. During her tenure as a Senator, Stewart-Cousins has been an advocate for the underserved and has created valuable community programs for her district which include JAM (Just About Me), a speaker series to reach out to young women in municipal housing to directly address the issues they face, and also “Operation SNUG”, an anti-gun and gang violence prevention effort to steer at risk New Yorkers away from the culture of gangs and illegal drugs.

Hon. Shelley Mayer is a New York State Assemblywoman for the 90th District and is dedicated to charting a new course for New Yorkers. Prior to her election to the Assembly in 2012, Assemblywoman Mayer was a Senior Counsel at the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia Law School, where she focused on health care and labor law rights. For over seven years she was Vice President of Government and Community Affairs at Continuum Health Partners, where she worked to protect Medicaid and Medicare services as well as improving the relationship between New York City’s diverse communities and the hospital system. Assemblywoman Mayer was born and raised in Yonkers, and is actively involved in the Yonkers community, serving as a member of the Yonkers NAACP, Yonkers YWCA, Westchester Women’s Bar Association, and Westchester’s Women Agenda.

Toni Volchok, Executive Director at CLUSTER, has been with the organization for over 30 years and will be retiring at the end of the year. Toni started at CLUSTER in 1984 as a volunteer before becoming the Assistant Director for Program Development and Administration, which included the oversight of Youth and Family Programs. During this time, the Youth and Family Programs expanded to include two summer day camps, in school and community after school programs, and the development of the Study Buddy Program. In 1998, Toni became CLUSTER’s Deputy Executive Director, a position she held until becoming the Executive Director in 2005. During her tenure as Executive Director, Toni was able to guide the agency through the 2008 recession, increase CLUSTER’s budget by over one million dollars, and expanded their programs beyond Westchester County into Rockland County. Through her leadership, CLUSTER’s programs continue to grow and provide crucial services throughout our community.

The 2017 Harvest Tasting attendees will enjoy an extraordinary experience provided by renowned celebrity Chef Peter Kelly. The event will feature silent and live auction items, such as an exclusive handcrafted canoe by Moonlight Marine, which was featured on the show Handcrafted America; box seats to the New York Yankees, Broadway Theatre tickets, fine jewelry, limited edition art piece by Thomas Williams Jones, and the opportunity to dine at some of the finest restaurants in Westchester County and New York City.

“We are so thankful to our event sponsors, for without them, we would not be able to do all of the wonderful work we do in the Yonkers community,” said Diana Campos, Director of Development at CLUSTER Community Services. This year’s Harvest Tasting Gala is sponsored by: Yonkers Sponsors - Nilsen Management Co. and Werlinich Asset Management LLC; Rivertown Sponsor - JPMorgan Chase; Hudson River Sponsors - Tom & Margaret Roth and PKF O’Connor Davies; Palisades Sponsors - Ginsburg Development Co. and Arthur and Dr. Mary Kentros; Downtown Sponsors - Assured SKCG Inc., Sterling National Bank, Andrew P. Levin, M.D.; Business Sponsors - Danosky & Associates, LLC. and Sun Service Center.

Tickets for the evening are available at $200 per person and can be purchased online at clustergala2017.eventbrite.com. For more information about the event, as well as sponsorship opportunities, please contact Diana Campos, Director of Development at (914) 963-6440 ext. 220, or via e-mail at dcampos@clusterinc.org.

About CLUSTER: CLUSTER Community Services is a private non-profit 501 (c) 3 multi service agency located in Yonkers, NY. Since 1975, CLUSTER Community Services has been providing a broad range of programs and services designed to meet the needs of residents in Westchester and Rockland Counties and help fulfill their dreams and potential. CLUSTER Community Services provides services in four core areas which include Mental Health Residential Services, Westchester and Rockland Mediation Centers, Youth & Family Programs, and Housing Resource Center.