Whom You Know: Caroline Kennedy Helps Launch First Annual Literacy Associates Benefit to Raise Awareness of Adult Illiteracy Issues Among Young New Yorkers

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Caroline Kennedy Helps Launch First Annual Literacy Associates Benefit to Raise Awareness of Adult Illiteracy Issues Among Young New Yorkers

On June 2, Literacy Associates, the under-50 supporters of Literacy Partners, celebrated their inaugural Benefit at Tenjune. Whom You Know love love LOVES this organization due to our shared dedication of embracing the English language and being both literate and grammatically correct! Thanks to the generous support of Gen-X and Gen-Y fast trackers and headliners from the worlds of fashion, design and media, the event was a resounding success.

Caroline Kennedy kicked off the evening by sharing a shocking fact: 3.5 million New York State residents cannot read above the fifth grade level. She went on to say, “Learning to read and write can change the future of an entire family for generations. By breaking the cycle of illiteracy, parents can greatly increase their earning potential, provide better healthcare for their families and create a brighter future for their children.”

Chaired by Andrea Rosen and Stefan Friedman, this year's event featured Real Housewives of New York’s Bethenny Frankel and Literacy Partners Board Members Lee Eastman, Jeff Sharp, Peter Brown, Kath Raymond, Jane Friedman, Sonia Reese and Sharon King Hoge.

Also in attendance were Literacy Associates Committee Members Jennifer Baltimore Johnson, Rachel Chou, Jennifer Civiletto, Anthony Corrao, Clementine Crawford, Erin Crum, Lauren Finney, Mary Pat Gillin, Elisa Lipsky-Karasz, Leigh Ellen Matheny, Diane Naughton, Christy Grace Provinces, Melissa Russo, Margot Schupf, Marissa Shorenstein, Anne-Lise Spitzer, Alison Steedman, Liate Stehlik, Maureen Sullivan, Tammy Sun, Dana Waisburg and Rod Winterrowd.

Literacy Associates were also joined by Shawn Sachs, Kimberly Spell, Frank Gribbon, Benjamin Schrank, Rachel Jacobson, Suzanne Wissert, Les Hinton, Lenny Allen, Mary McBride, Luke Parker Bowles, Marisha Pessl and Kate Sullivan.

Peachy Deegan was in attendance and thought the event was quite well-done. She enjoyed meeting and speaking with Jane Friedman, David Nathanson, Caroline Henley, Nikki Bowen, Matthew Riley, Liate Stehlik and Wendy Schwartzberg.

To support the event, from now until June 10, an online auction is being held at www.charityfolks.com/literacypartners.

Whom You Know strongly suggests supporting such a worthy cause!

Supporters can bid on exciting items like a one-week Jamaican vacation, a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of The TODAY Show and the opportunity to name a character in the next installment of James Patterson’s bestselling series, Maximum Ride. If bidding on the Maximum Ride lot exceeds $10,000, Patterson will also dedicate the book to the lucky winner.

About Literacy Partners: For 35 years, Literacy Partners has helped thousands of New Yorkers learn the basic reading, writing and math skills needed to succeed in day-to-day living. Through successful collaborations with major corporations, community partners and benefactors, Literacy Partners offers small, welcoming classes taught by enthusiastic, highly trained volunteer tutors. Literacy Partners is the only nationally accredited adult literacy program serving New York City. For more information, visit www.literacypartners.org

Recent Testimonials by Brand Ambassadors on their Experience with Whom You Know

"I work with Peachy Deegan because she's prolific at what she does. She's a hard worker, she's thoughtful and she's tasteful at what she writes which is very important. Peachy gets the facts correct, and just that alone is worth its weight in gold."

-Edward Tricomi, Master Stylist and Owner of Warren-Tricomi
https://warrentricomi.com/

"No one has yet to express their taste for our cuisine better than Peachy Deegan on Whom You Know. Thank you for transforming our flavor into words, unlike any other before.
Sometimes WHOM YOU KNOW, really makes a difference and Ammos Estiatorio is grateful to know Peachy Deegan!"
-
Dimitris Nakos, Founder and Owner of
Ammos Estiatorio
https://ammosnewyork.com/

“Whom You Know has done an amazing job of featuring our company over many years [seven]. Peachy has worked tirelessly to create a well-curated selection of topics and brands that are clearly of relevance to her growing audience of readers. Her articles are filled with great insights based on first-hand experience. She does her research, knows her business and is a pleasure to work with!”

-David Sasuga, Owner of Fresh Origins Microgreens
www.FreshOrigins.com

"Peachy Deegan has the pulse of the nation and highlights exceptional opinion leaders in more than 23,000 inspiring and entertaining posts. Her 100,000 twitter followers are a true testimony to Peachy’s ability to inspire, motivate and entertain. She is a feminine force to be reckoned with and an exemplary example of an influential voice in today’s world."

-Mica Mosbacher, author of the new book The Hurricane Factor: Stormside Patriots and tv political commentator

"It was an honour to be chosen for Movers and Shakers by Peachy Deegan. The questions in the interview were intelligent and insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed answering them. The reaction to the interview has been overwhelmingly positive and has helped bring my art practice to a wider audience."
-Damien Flood, Internationally Acclaimed Artist
http://www.damienflood.ie/

"We were so fortunate to hit Peachy’s radar. Her review of our Warmies was spot-on and came at a great time in our company’s early history.
Peachy has such a strong relationship with her readers. She provides honest and real comments; she is truly a trusted source in a very large circle
of consumers."
-Scott Wehrs
President
Intelex U.S.A.
http://www.intelexusallc.com/

"We at Primola love working with Whom You Know and are proud to have been a highly-ranked Manhattan restaurant by Peachy Deegan since 2012, and are featured seasonally. We appreciate the fantastic work Peachy does highlighting our cuisine with her sublime writing style and the whole neighborhood of the Upper East side. Also, we are glad that she has started a Made in Italy column! If you have the opportunity to be considered for review, we'd highly recommend working with her."
-Giuliano Zuliani, Owner of Primola Restaurant
https://www.facebook.com/Primola-Canaletto-restaurants-NYC-135616799831091

"
Peachy Deegan is a gem. She is wonderful to feature our Irish brands in 'Whom You Know'! The articles are beautifully and passionately presented, bringing products and brands to life, making both relevant and fun for her many faithful followers to read. I am immensely proud for our hand-crafted products to be included in this venue!"

-
Bill Follett
President, Belleek Group North America
www.Belleek.com

"As you know from my past features, Peachy Deegan and I were in the same class at Boston College prior to either of us becoming entrepreneurs. When we played together on the BC Alumni softball team in Central Park years ago, she mentioned she could not find a great dentist in Manhattan and could often be found networking on her phone in the outfield hiding from the ball. She was my second patient ever in 2006 when I opened my dental practice; I was one of the first sponsors on Whom You Know and the first Mover and Shaker featured in 2009 and have worked with her continuously since. She's even talked her friends that are doctors into being my patients, and they subsequently send their hospital colleagues. I don't know anyone that is as great of a networker and writer as Peachy, nevermind that she is upstanding and always good for her word. Cosmopolitan Dental is so happy to be in the company of the caliber of major brands she works with today, and although she will tell you a million ways to get your teeth dirty between Peachy's Picks, Terrific Takeout and Peachy's Pantry, Peachy Deegan will tell you there is only one way to get your teeth clean!"
-Dr. Garo Nazarian, Founder and Owner of Cosmopolitan Dental
http://cosmopolitandental.com/