Board Profile
Susanna Aaron
One of Friends of Hudson River Park's newest Board Members, Susanna Aaron has made an immediate impact on the organization, by becoming actively involved in Friends' Board Committees on Development and Marketing and Communications; serving as the Greenwich Village Neighborhood Co-Chair for our May 6, 2010 Gala; and helping to inspire and support Friends' participation in the opening of the 2010 season of the Greenwich Village Little League on Pier 40 in Hudson River Park (see story).
Earlier this year, Susanna and her husband, Executive Vice President of Time Warner Inc, Gary L. Ginsberg, opened their home for an evening to bring together dozens of their friends and neighbors to talk about new ways to support Hudson River Park and get involved with Friends.
Susanna is an Emmy award winning former television producer at NBC Nightly News.
A life-long Greenwich Village resident, and the mother of two young boys, she has served on the board of Village Community School for over ten years, and has recently served as a volunteer research associate for the Center for an Urban Future, conducting interviews for a report on New York City’s creative economy.
Support Friends
Why should you support Friends of Hudson River Park?
FRIENDS LEVERAGES
YOUR SUPPORT
Friends is the only organization dedicated to the entire Hudson River Park, and we are the voice of Park neighbors and Park users from all five boroughs of New York City.
With a limited budget, and a small staff, Friends' efforts have helped secure over $200 million in capital funding for the Park, bringing it to 80% completion, with major additions in Chelsea and Tribeca this year.
We need your help to secure $200 million more to complete the Park and ensure an unbroken greenway from 59th to Chambers Streets.
Friends is committed to securing annual funding for the Park’s ongoing operations and maintenance so that Hudson River Park is never allowed to deteriorate from neglect.
Thus far, our tireless advocacy has ensured that progress in the Park remains on track, and Friends has won legal actions to ensure that construction of Hudson River Park continues. However, without sufficient funding, shovel ready projects in the Park may not move forward. We need you to help us complete the Park New Yorkers and visitors deserve.
Your support also allows us to partner with other organizations, including the Hudson River Park Trust, so that Friends is able to provide a full season of free and low-cost public programming throughout the Park.
Friends' members are remaking our Hudson River Waterfront and improving quality of life for all New Yorkers with our City’s largest new park in over 150 years.
Love Your Park?
Support Your Park!
Your generosity makes all the difference.
“...The Park's leading advocacy group...”
- The Villager
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Top Story May 2010
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Friends' Annual Gala Raises $580,000:
Online Auction Continues Until May 19th
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Event guests enjoyed a preview of Hudson River Park's Chelsea Cove, opening later this month.
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Friends of Hudson River Park celebrated its annual gala celebration last Thursday (photos), which raised $580,000 to help fund the organization’s efforts to complete, sustain and protect Hudson River Park.
The event began with cocktails in Hudson River Park’s soon-to-open Chelsea Cove and was followed by dinner in the Clerestory at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia headquarters in the Starrett-Lehigh Building overlooking the Park. Martha Stewart served as Honorary Chair, and Bette Midler and Douglas Durst were Dinner Co-Chairs. ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts hosted the event. “Hats off to Friends of Hudson River Park for this amazing transformation,” blogged Martha Stewart after the event. (Additional photos in her daily blog.)
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ABC News' Deborah Roberts and Friends' Executive Director A. J. Pietrantone.
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“The Gala is an opportunity to mark the measurable progress on our mission of completing Hudson River Park and protecting this unique Waterfront space for future generations,” said Friends of Hudson River Park Executive Director A. J. Pietrantone. “The event provides a significant portion of our annual operating budget and a kick-off to the 2010 Park season. It also brings together our most generous supporters to celebrate that progress as we begin our second decade of advocacy on behalf of the Park and the millions of New Yorkers who enjoy it.”
This year’s Gala honored Lynden Miller for her contributions of thoughtful design and restoration to many of the public gardens in and around New York City, including Hudson River Park; Skanska for their distinctive and attentive construction of much of Hudson River Park and other public spaces; and our own Board Co-Chair, Ross Graham, for her years of dedication and service to the New York State Senate, Manhattan’s West Side, and to Friends of Hudson River Park.
The event’s online auction will continue until May 19. Items available for bidding include tickets for the upcoming Yankees vs. Mets Subway Series on June 20, cooking lessons for four at the Bouley test kitchen, an after-work open bar Party for up to 250 Guests onboard a boat in New York Harbor, and a two night stay at the Trump Soho Hotel, just to name a few.
Proceeds will add to the success of our Annual Gala and help Friends continue to work to complete and sustain Hudson River Park.
More News
Kickoff of 2010 Park Season:
Greenwich Village Little League and
Friends’ Pier 45 Spring Festival
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Mr. Met joins a Little Leaguer on Pier 40 for Greenwich Village Little League opening day on April 10, 2010.
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On April 10th, Friends’ Executive Director, staff, and Board Member, Susanna Aaron (see Board Profile) helped celebrate the Opening Day of the Greenwich Village Little League’s 2010 Season. A. J. Pietrantone joined U.S. Congressman Jerrold Nadler, NY City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and other political and community leaders in helping to launch the Little League’s season.
Friends' own programming season began two weeks later on April 24th, with our annual Pier 45 Spring Festival in Hudson River Park at Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village. The free Festival and family event included face painting, arts & crafts, field games, fishing, and prizes for the kids, along with live bluegrass, rock and folk music by the Mercantillers.
Join us all season long in Hudson River Park for more festivals in other sections of the Park, the free Clinton Concert Series, held on Pier 84 at 44th Street, affordably-priced Hudson River boat rides, and a wide variety of other events featured and regularly updated on our online events calendar.
Hudson River Park is your five-mile long, 550 acre Oasis in the City. Enjoy the Park all season long, and support the Park all year long.
Tourist Flights in Park are History, by April 1st:
Friends’ Ends a Dozen Years of Prohibited
Helicopter Tourism in Hudson River Park
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| Helicopter tourism was banned by the Hudson River Park Act of 1998, but had not been adhered to by the Heliport operators. |
April first marked the end of illegal helicopter tourism in Hudson River Park. Despite the fact that helicopter tourist flights were banned at the Heliport by the Hudson River Park Act of 1998, flight operators were allowed to continue until a replacement spot was named.
In 2007, Friends of Hudson River Park filed legal action to stop the sightseeing flights operating out of the Park to bring the Heliport into compliance with the law that formalized the Park, and agreed to a phase-out of operations by April 1, 2010, in order to achieve other community benefits including a cap on all flights and additional wind and noise mitigation requirements.
Friends’ victory for the Park and the Waterfront Community has been widely reported in the media including prominent stories by NY 1 News, WABC Eyewitness News, and DNAinfo.com. In addition, Friends’ Executive Director A. J. Pietrantone authored an article on the Heliport story for the influential Huffington Post.
Friends welcomes the City’s recent changes to heliport regulations in other areas in response to further neighborhood concerns about noise and disruption, so that the entire Waterfront and open spaces can be more fully enjoyed by the public.
Nordic Masters of Light Gallery Show:
May 21st through May 26th
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| Works by Kåre Tveter and Petar Tale, Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali. |
From May 20th to May 26th, Friends of Hudson River Park will be the beneficiary of a portion of the proceeds from a Chelsea Gallery sales exhibition, presented by Global Art Master Works. This exclusive showing will feature original works by Norwegian artists Kåre Tveter and Petar Tale, and very special lithographs and etchings by Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali.
The sales exhibition will be held at Chelsea's Rogue Space White Space at 508 West 26th Street, Suite 9E. An Opening Night Reception will be held on Friday, May 21st from 6:00pm to 9:00pm, with additional gallery hours by appointment only through May 26th.
R.S.V.P. to Jonathan Learn at jon@globalartassociates.com.
Featured Photo
After a cold, snowy winter - - Spring has arrived in Hudson River Park. This picture of musicians, pets and toddlers enjoying one of the first warm days of the season along the Greenwich Village esplanade was taken by long-time Friends’ supporter and photographer Shelley Seccombe.
We encourage you to share your favorite Park photos with us. For each newsletter, we select a photo that best captures some aspect of the Park and its community of users. If you don’t see your photos here, look for them in our website’s Photo Gallery. Send your photos to photos@fohrp.org. Please join us throughout the year for a variety of events in and around the Park.
Friends on Facebook
 Friends of Hudson River Park is now on Facebook.
Join our group page today.
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