For his outstanding leadership and dedication to the betterment of New York City, John E. Zuccotti, former New York City Deputy Mayor and current Chairman of Brookfield Properties, Inc.,was honored by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens at the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner at Pier Sixty in Manhattan, on June 5, 2013.
Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn, served as Honorary Chairman. The Dinner Chairpersons were: Charles F. Murphy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Turner Construction Company; John J. Farrell, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, JP Morgan Chase, Retired; Peter J. Striano, President of Unity International; Peter M. Meyer, NYC Market President, TD Bank;and Elizabeth Mary Lutas, MD, FACP, FACC, Attending Physician of Norwalk Community Health Center. Ken Rosato, Emmy-award winning Anchor of WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News (morning and noon editions) served as the Master of Ceremonies for this important fundraiser. Renowned Opera Tenor Christopher Macchio performed.
John E. Zuccotti, Co-Chairman of U.S. Commercial Operations, at Brookfield Properties Company and Counsel in the real estate department of the international law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, has had a distinguished career in city and federal government. Serving as the First Deputy Mayor of the City of New York under Mayor Abraham D. Beame from 1975 through 1977, he played a key role in saving the city from collapse during the fiscal crisis. Mayor John V. Lindsay appointed him to the New York City Planning Commission in 1971 and then named him Chairman of the Commission in 1973. Mr. Zuccotti also served as Chairman of Mayor Edward I. Koch’s Advisory Committee on Police Management and Personnel Policy, was a member of Mayor Koch’s Advisory Task Force on the Homeless, and was Chairman of Governor Hugh L. Carey’s Task Force on the World Trade Center.
At the 2006 Zuccotti Park Opening and Dedication Ceremony in Mr. Zuccotti’s honor, the late Mayor Edward I. Koch was quoted as saying, “John Zuccotti is a son of New York… Whatever he did was in the best interest of the City of New York…and he knew the city like no one else.”
Prior to his experience in New York City government, Mr. Zuccotti spent time in Washington as Assistant to Robert C. Wood, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as Special Counsel to the Housing Subcommittee of the House Banking and Currency Committee and as Secretary and
Counsel to the National Corporation for Housing Partnerships. He was also a member of HUD’s Task Force on Improving Operations of Federal Housing Programs and a consultant to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Mr. Zuccotti also served as Assistant to Senator Jacob K. Javits.
“We could not be more pleased to have honored Mr. John Zuccotti, who is a great supporter of fulfilling the unmet needs of New Yorkers, and finding solutions to affordable housing in New York,” said Robert Siebel, Chief Executive Officer, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens.
After Hurricane Sandy, the needs of many New Yorkers grew. Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens staff has worked tirelessly from day one responding to the crisis, maintaining our involvement in numerous distribution efforts, and providing for basic needs; working directly with those struggling with issues of housing, relocation, employment, insurance, FEMA and so much more. Today, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has implemented a long-term disaster case management initiative with a team of twenty staff members assigned to continue to meet these needs of residents in the hurricane-ravaged areas for the months ahead. Through Project Hope, funded by a grant from FEMA, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens provides free and confidential counseling services to individuals and communities recovering from Hurricane Sandy.
“Now, more than ever, we are relying on our friends in the community to support the agency’s critical mission,” says Robert Siebel. “Events like the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner, and honorees like Mr. Zuccotti, whose experience compliments our mission, help us raise critical funds needed to serve our community and sustain our work.”
For over 20 years, the Bishop’s Humanitarian Award Dinner is held annually through the generous support of concerned individuals and organizations who champion the agency’s mission on behalf of children and families, older adults, those with developmental disabilities, those suffering from mentally illness, the formerly homeless and the isolated. It has generated millions of dollars in support of the work of the agency.
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For over 110 years, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens has been providing quality social services to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens, and currently offers more than 160 programs and services for children, youth, adults, seniors, those with developmental disabilities, and those struggling with mental illness. Catholic Charities is also one of the largest faith-based providers of affordable housing in New York City, providing 3,750 units of housing for low-income seniors, families, and the formerly homeless, including 750 units of special needs housing, throughout Brooklyn and Queens. Visit www.ccbq.org.
Pictured (from l. to r.) are: Sister Ellen Patricia Finn, OP, Deputy Executive Director, Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Robert Siebel, Chief Executive Officer; Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens; Honoree John Zuccotti, Chariman, Brookfield Properties; Most Reverend Nicholas DiMarzio, Ph.D., D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn;Rev. Msgr. Alfred P. LoPinto, Vicar for Human Services, Diocese of Brooklyn; Ken Rosato, Anchor, Eyewitness News, WABC-TV.