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Turtle Bay Association Hosts Gala to Celebrate Volunteers A grand and wonderful party was held in April to honor TBA's loyal and hard-working volunteers. As TBA President Bill Curtis put it, "It's always gratifying to see so many bright and capable people volunteering to serve on committees created to make Turtle Bay a better place for all of us to live." It happened at DeGrezia, an elegant Northern Italian restaurant, located at 231 E. 50th Street since 1987. Its luxurious décor and first-rate food made it a natural for this special party. Everyone absolutely loved the splendid menu of delicious and beautifully presented dishes, which included such favorites as fried calamari and zucchini; rare grilled skirt steak; penne pasta with four cheeses; mini-meatballs; sausage and peppers; and chicken tenders. Owner Joseph DeGrezia and Manager Vito Luppino truly outdid themselves in making this a night we were all especially glad that we were volunteers! Mr. DeGrezia said, "The Turtle Bay Association looks out for everyone's interests and works hard to make our neighborhood one where businesses can thrive and find a real home. I think once a year it's nice for some of us to look out for them." In addition to our volunteers we were visited by three of our most popular elected officials: Carolyn Maloney, John Ravitz, and Gifford Miller. The Parks Department was represented by Commissioner Henry Stern, and park designer George Vellonakis. Captain Kevin Ward, Detective Frank Bogucki, and Community Council President Jay Litwin carried the flag for the 17th Precinct. In addition, several of our long-time friends from the Doe Fund and Community Board 6 were also in attendance to help us celebrate this festive occasion. Besides plentiful food and drink, a feeling of old fashioned hospitality
was generated by the flow of familiar tunes, engagingly performed
by Michael Ogborn on the Baby Grand piano. As often happens near
the end of a party, the remaining guests moved to the bar for one
last drink and song before heading home. Volunteer Mary Baxter,
who serves on the Special Events Committee, perhaps summed it up
best with her comment, "Living here in the Turtle Bay community
gives me a wonderful sense of belonging to a neighborhood. Volunteering
for the TBA makes me feel like I'm really a part of things."
The Turtle Bay Association is a nonprofit (501c3) community organization.
224 East 47th Street, New York City 10017 |
