Whitestone Organizations Get Sovereign Grants

Gathered for the presentations on February 21 (l. to r.) were: Sovereign Regional Executive Joseph Cagliotti, Whitestone Manager Edward Law, state Senator Frank Padavan, Queens Chamber of Commerce President Albert Pennisi, state Senator Toby Stavisky, Dwarf-Giraffe Athletic League President Jay Vigorito and Jose Rodriguez, also of the Dwarf-Giraffe Athletic League, and North Shore Anti-Graffiti President Steve Behar. Three Whitestone community organizations last week received Sovereign Bank "Quality of Life" grants to support their work in this Queens neighborhood where the bank has recently opened a new office at 149-37 14th Ave.

Whitestone Community Banking Manager Edward Law said, "As Sovereign Bank becomes part of the business community in Whitestone, we want to take this opportunity to recognize some of the fine neighborhood organizations that make an important contribution to the outstanding quality of life here."

At an evening reception for the local business community at the new branch on February 21, Sovereign presented grants of $1,000 each to the North Shore Anti-Graffiti League, Dwarf-Giraffe Athletic League and the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association. Among those joining Sovereign at the reception to honor the local organizations were Albert Pennisi, president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, state Senators Frank Padavan and Toby Stavisky and Assemblymember Ann-Margaret Carrozza.

"Sovereign is proud to support the work of these outstanding organizations who make Whitestone such a wonderful community," Sovereign Bank Vice President and Community Reinvestment Officer Nia Rock said.

The North Shore Anti-Graffiti Volunteers, represented by their new president, Steve Behar, work with government and business and community organizations to remove unsightly graffiti from public spaces and facilities in the community.

The Dwarf-Giraffe Athletic League was established in 1955 and provides participation for boys and girls ages five to 18 in five major sports. Jay Vigorito, new president of the Dwarf-Giraffe, has been involved in the league since 1966 when he was a youth player.

The Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association, headed by President Pat Carpentiere, dedicated to civic betterment and the improvement of Whitestone, works closely with the community's elected officials and Community Board 7 to preserve the quality of life in Whitestone.

This is the second round of grants to non-profit organizations since Sovereign Bank opened its latest Queens location in Whitestone this year. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on February 1, Sovereign presented a $10,000 grant to the Kupferberg Center at Queens College to support its Arts in Education performance series, $3,000 to the Whitestone-based Transitional Services for New York, Inc., an organization that provides community-based services for individuals with mental disabilities and $2,000 to the Whitestone Community Volunteer Ambulance Corps.