Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate our 30th Annual Benefit & Silent Auction on October 10, 2024. This highly anticipated evening, hosted at the elegant Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, honored 30 years of SHAREing & CAREing’s unwavering cancer support services to the Queens community. Guests enjoyed cocktails, dinner, dancing, awards, a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle, and a heartfelt presentation of the organization’s impactful work, all expertly guided by our Master of Ceremonies, Joseph Pistilli.
Award Recipients
This year, we are privileged to celebrate an exceptional group of award recipients who have made a meaningful impact in our community. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for the passion and dedication of these remarkable individuals:
Andrew Latos
Senior Partner, Latos Latos & Associates, PC
Andrew Latos is a shining example of the American Dream, having risen from humble beginnings as a Greek immigrant to become a respected attorney, philanthropist, and business leader. Andrew emigrated to New York with his parents at a young age and settled in Astoria, a community with deep ties to the Greek immigrant experience. From these early roots, Andrew worked tirelessly to create a better life for himself and his family, ultimately achieving remarkable success in the legal and business arenas. Andrew is the senior partner of Latos, Latos & Associates. Specializing in a range of legal services, the firm has become a pillar of the Astoria community, known for its commitment to justice and advocacy for those in need. Andrew’s legal expertise and leadership have made him an influential figure in the local legal community, where his dedication to protecting the rights of the vulnerable has earned him widespread respect. In addition to his legal work, Andrew is deeply involved in various philanthropic efforts. He serves on the Board of Directors for First Central Savings Bank, an institution that is known for supporting local businesses and fostering economic growth. His leadership in this role demonstrates his commitment to not only his own professional success but also the success of his community at large. One of Andrew’s most notable roles is as a Guardian for the elderly and incapacitated. He has long been an advocate for those who are unable to speak for themselves, working to ensure that they receive the care and protection they deserve. This responsibility is a reflection of Andrew’s deep sense of empathy and commitment to justice for all, especially the most vulnerable members of society. Along with his legal work, Andrew co-founded the Peter Latos Prostate Cancer Foundation in memory of his brother and law partner, Peter Latos, who tragically passed away from the disease. Through this foundation, Andrew is determined to honor his brother’s legacy by raising awareness and funding for prostate cancer research. His commitment to this cause reflects both his personal loss and his desire to make a lasting impact on the lives of others. Beyond his professional and philanthropic endeavors, Andrew has also ventured into commercial enterprises, further demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit. Despite his many achievements, he remains deeply connected to his roots and the values that shaped him. Andrew Latos stands as a beacon of the American Dream, embodying hard work, compassion, and a relentless pursuit of justice. His contributions to the legal field, his leadership in business, and his dedication to charitable causes continue to shape the lives of countless individuals. Today, as he receives recognition from Shareing and Careing, Andrew remains committed to serving those in need and uplifting his community, all while honoring the memory of his late brother through his tireless work in cancer advocacy.
Christine Walsh, PMP, CMP
Vice President, PMO & Enterprise Delivery, Financial Institutions Group, FISERV
Over the last 7 years, Chris has been a high-impact Fiserv leader with a strong ability to identify initiatives and facilitate action-driven plans to support objectives, growth and leadership. She focuses on delivering strong for her Fiserv clients. She was recently titled a Fiserv Game Changer: Chris oversees implementations and ensures that the organization represents the voice of the client. She recognizes the importance of effective communication, providing clients with simple and concise explanations of the organization’s technology offerings. Chris’ focus on continuous improvement exemplifies her commitment to delivering unparalleled client satisfaction. She received the 2021 Fiserv Leading Talent Award. She has also devoted many years of service and her time giving back to the community via WIT: Women in Technology, Mentoring / Sponsoring teenagers in single family households, current Board Member of JUNTOS: Giving back to low-income communities. Chris was introduced to Michael Serao through her Fiserv role, and they quickly became good friends. She realized very quickly that Michael has a heart of gold and cared deeply for his community. He shared with her the gift of SHAREing & CAREing, an organization dedicated to helping those with cancer and their families. Since that introduction she and her Fiserv executive team – Frank Bisignano, Chris Foskett, John Gibbons, Guy Chiarello, Joe Profeta and Dudley White – who have been 100% supportive, have donated every year to this amazing benefit and cause. This organization and cause immediately became near and dear to Chris especially since she lost her grandfather John Kocoris to cancer at a young age. He was a rock in her family, he is one of her best childhood memories. Later in life, she lost her best friend and mentor to cancer. One of the toughest phone calls she received, was the day Aurelia told her that she had a year to live. She had the privilege to help her warrior friend, check off her bucket list and it was a journey of a lifetime. Chris was born in the Bronx where she attended Saint Helena then her family moved to Fresh Meadows, Queens where she attended Queen of Peace and The Mary Louis Academy. She grew up playing fast pitch softball and paddle ball. Chris enjoys visiting NYC as she has many family members and friends throughout the Bronx, Queens, New Jersey, and Long Island. The most important role Chris has held in her life is being a mother, Grandmother (aka CiCi), Wife, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Granddaughter and Friend. Chris is married to her best friend and husband John Walsh; his support has been paramount in her career success and their family’s happiness. They have 4 adult children (Eric, Hailey, Erin and Aidan) and 2 grandchildren (Ainsley and Watson). When she is not working, she enjoys the time with her family, time with friends and traveling especially to see her grand kids. Tennis is her favorite sport to play, she has won many USTA state tennis championships as well as ALTA City Championships.
Nicholas Tavantzis
Vice President, First Central Savings Bank
COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Nicholas “Nick” Tavantzis has been a commercial banking & finance professional in the New York City Metro Market for over 35 years, starting his career at The Bankers Trust Company, where he completed the management training program. Following Bankers Trust, Nick joined HSBC in 1986 as a Senior Credit Analyst and was promoted to AVP, Business Development Officer. Following HSBC, Nick joined J.P. Morgan Chase in 1999 as VP in Middle Market Lending Division, and in 2004, joined North Fork Bank in a new business development role. When Capital One acquired North Fork, Nick was promoted to SVP & Market Sales Executive for The Boroughs Team, leading a team of 8 bankers and 2 administrators; In 2009, the team placed 2nd overall in the national stack rankings from 20 teams and Nick was awarded “Market Sales Executive of the Year”. In 2016, Nick joined BNB Bank as a Commercial banking Relationship Manager in the NYC office, concentrating in middle market lending and in 2019, joined FCSB in a Regional Lending role, supporting the Retail Division in loan growth and development and is currently the Business Development Officer for Astoria, NY. Nick spent 7 years of his career outside of Banking, with two private companies, the most recent as Chief Financial Officer of Blue Ridge Farms, a manufacturer of prepared, refrigerated food in East New York, Brooklyn. Nick is an alumnus of Long Island University’s School of Public and Business Administration, Brooklyn, NY, obtaining a B.S. in Finance; Nick also did his Graduate school studies in the LIU M.B.A. program. While at Capital One, Nick was sponsored and attended Furman University in Greenville, SC for an advanced degree from the Graduate School of Retail Bank Management of the Consumer Bankers Association in Washington, D.C. from 2008 to 2010. In 2002, Nick became an adjunct professor of Business and Finance at Plaza College and in 2016, Nick joined the staff at Baruch College as a guest lecturer in the C.A.P.S. Program, teaching Business Statistics. Nick is married to Youla, and together they have three children, Chris, Aspasia and Sotirea. Nick & Youla are Stewards of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Flushing, NY where they are member of the A.H.E.P.A. Chapter and Ladies Philoptochos Benevolent Association. Nick volunteered as a Basketball Coach, completing his 30th year in 2019 and is also the founder and Head Coach of the Queens Basketball Academy, founded in 2019.
Laura Jean Hawkins
President, Hawkins Consulting, Inc.
Advisory Board Chair, SHAREing & CAREing
GLORIA D’AMICO LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
A graduate of Queens College, Laura Jean Hawkins is the Founder & President of Hawkins Consulting, Inc., a boutique lobbying firm specializing in non-profit organizations. Prior to opening Hawkins Consulting, Inc. in 2014, Ms. Hawkins served as Vice President and Principal lobbyist at The Dryfoos Group, where she was responsible for developing the personalized lobbying and government relations blueprint for each of the Firm’s clients and was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Firm’s government relations outreach efforts. From 1986-2001, Ms. Hawkins was employed by the New York State Assembly, rising from student intern to Chief of Staff to the Assembly Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore and Chair of the Queens Assembly Delegation, the late Denis J. Butler. While in the employ of Assembly Member Butler, Laura Jean became active in a number of community civic and political organizations, including the Powhatan Regular Democratic Club and Astoria/Queens SHARE-ING and CARE-ING, Inc. dba SHAREing & CAREing. Ms. Hawkins has been a featured speaker at the Association of Fundraising Professionals, lecturing on accessing state and city discretionary dollars for not-for-profit community organizations, a guest lecturer at St. John’s University and at Fordham University Graduate Center, lecturing on state and city politics and a presenter at New York Edge, Inc.’s 2023 Leadership Conference. A long-time community activist, Ms. Hawkins served as the Democratic State Committeewoman of the 36th Assembly District in Astoria, Queens for 23 years and is currently the Advisory Board Chair of SHAREing & CAREing. Married to the Honorable David M. Hawkins, Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York (Retired), Ms. Hawkins resides in Queens with the Judge and their three cats.
First Central Savings Bank
CORPORATE SERVICE RECOGNITION AWARD
Sponsors & Supporters
The staff, board, and volunteers of SHAREing & CAREing are deeply grateful for the incredible generosity of this event’s supporters and for the unwavering support from our community for our cancer support services. Your support makes everything we do possible!
We are particularly grateful to our generous sponsors: BBH Solutions, Inc., D&F Development Group, Fiserv, First Central Savings Bank, Phoenix Management 23 LLC, Mount Sinai Queens, the RAR Foundation, the Kril Family, Cullen & Dykman LLP, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, Mr. Michael Serao & Dr. Fidel Abreu, Nello, Queens Cancer Center of NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, Meridian Capital Group LLC, TGI Office Automation, TurquoiseLife, New York City Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Chapter #5002, New York Adjustment Bureau Inc., LMS Entertainment, County Cleaners Corporation, the Alfaro Family, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Zbrella Technology Consulting, IREM NYC, Maria Pia Alaimo, Attorney at Law, City of New York, and Hawkins Consulting Inc.
Your support makes everything we do possible! Thank you for an incredible 30 years!
Photos & videos courtesy of LMS Entertainment