Garden City Chamber Announces 2012 Pineapple Ball Honorees

At the Garden City Chamber of Commerce’s 2012 kick off luncheon at the Garden City Hotel Jan. 25, Dr. Anthony Libertella, chamber president, announced the names of three extraordinary individuals who will be honored at the chamber’s tenth anniversary Pineapple Ball gala.

To be held on Friday evening, May 4 at the Garden City Hotel when guests will salute four extraordinary honorees, enjoy a fabulous repast and dancing to the 13-piece New Vintage Orchestra – new for 2012!

Patti Tenaglia

Patti Tenaglia has been named Garden City “Citizen of the Year.” This prestigious award was established in 1970 to acknowledge outstanding service to the community by an individual whose efforts have contributed to the high standards, quality of life and well being of the Garden City community and beyond.

Tenaglia is being honored for the many achievements of The MIRACLE Foundation, which she founded with her late husband Michael, and which has benefited cancer patients throughout Long Island. Many of the innovative programs the Miracle Foundation funds and sustains were also created by the foundation as a way to make life better for those battling cancer. Most notable is the creation of the Miracle Foundation Pavilion envisioned by and dedicated to Michael J. Tenaglia. The Pavilion is a Long Island satellite for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre. Also recognized are a myriad of initiatives aimed at easing the lives of pediatric cancer patients, notably the provision of a child Life specialist to the Cancer Center for Kids at Winthrop-University Hospital.

A vibrant mother of four, Patti Tenaglia has worked tirelessly for the past 12 years to raise funds and to ensure the initiatives of the Miracle Foundation. Currently, she serves as director of this 501(C)3 Garden City based non-profit. Patti continues to address students, corporations and civic groups to empower others and to raise cancer awareness.

John Garvey

John Garvey will be the recipient of the “Community Achievement Award.” John is senior vice president and senior client manager in the Long Island Business Banking Unit, Bank of America. This prestigious award commemorates outstanding professionalism and major contributions to the Village of Garden City and beyond through ones occupation or profession.

Following through on the Bank of America organization’s strong culture that values, encourages and supports its staff to be involved in community organizations, John joined and has served several terms as president of the Mental Health Association of Nassau County, which honored him as Man of the Year and named a community residence in his honor. He continues to be an active board member. John also served as a board member and treasurer of the Arthritis Foundation for several years. He has served as a board member, treasurer and president of the Long Island Development Corp., and more recently, served on the Long Island Regional Loan Committee of the Empire State Certified Development Corp.

On the local level, John Garvey has been a member of the Eastern Property Owners' Association (EPOA); served as president of the Garden City Jaycees, a creator of the Garden City Turkey Trot; and following the chamber’s move of the historic Garden City Toll Lodge, John had served as president of the Toll Lodge Preservation Association for several years.

Frank Pelliccione

Frank Pelliccione has been selected by the chamber as Garden City’s “Business Person of the Year” for 2012. This special award recognizes contributions to the local economy, to the advancement and aims and objectives of the Chamber of Commerce and to the welfare of the community, criteria set by the Council of Chambers of Nassau County, which will further honor Frank at its awards breakfast in October 2012.

Frank is vice president of development at Flushing Bank. His responsibilities include commercial lending, retail banking, mortgage/home equity and service products, among others.

Throughout his professional career, Frank has been extremely active with non-profit organizations. He recently completed a 15-year term as a member of the American Kidney Fund Board of Trustees, having served as treasurer and playing pivotal roles on both the Finance and Public Support Committees.

Frank has also been recognized for his civic and philanthropic work from organizations such as the Boy Scouts of Nassau County and the Brentwood Soccer League, the Freeport Chamber of Commerce, the March of Dimes, Operation Get Ahead and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frank is also proud to have helped build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Suffolk County. In 2010, Frank was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as one of the “good people who do things for good causes” at the association’s Philanthropy Day.

Frank has served as an active member of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for the past three years. Through his efforts, Flushing Bank was the prime sponsor of the chamber’s 2010 Fall Festival Street Fair.

Vincent R. DiGregorio

Vincent R. DiGregorio, MD, FACS, senior partner at Long Island Plastic Surgical Group (LIPS) and chief of plastic surgery at Winthrop-University Hospital, will be the recipient of the second annual President’s Award. This award was created in 2011 to recognize “above-and-beyond” volunteer spirit within the Garden City Community and beyond.

Dr. DiGregorio is vice president and a board member of Mission: Restore, the volunteer foundation founded by LIPS to provide service and education to underserved areas. During the past year Mission: Restore has provided these services in Haiti, Afghanistan, India and Nepal. Additionally, the volunteer services provided by Dr. DiGregorio and the LIPS medical staff toward the “Dr. Stitch” Program has been widely commended.

The Long Island Plastic Surgical Group is the largest and oldest practice of its kind in North America dedicated to providing compassionate and comprehensive care. During the past 64 years, LIPS has provided cosmetic and reconstructive procedures to more than a half million primarily Nassau County residents.  Locally, through Dr. DiGregorio’s contributing efforts, LIPS sponsored two of Garden City’s major events in 2011: the Belmont Festival in June and the chamber’s Fall Festival Street Fair in October. Dr. DiGregorio and LIPS continue to look forward to being good neighbors locally and globally.

Join the chamber in saluting these spectacular honorees at the 2012 Pineapple Ball. To receive an invitation; for detailed information about sponsorship opportunities; or to purchase 50/50 raffle tickets at $20 each, call Tracey Gittere at 516-222-0550 or www.GardenCityChamber.org.