Astoria/LIC Kiwanis Honors 11 Women Members

The Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis honorees, members and guests (back row, l. to r.): City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., Rose Anne Alafogiannis, Assemblymember Michael Gianaris, Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis Man of the Year Panagiotis Manolas, M.D., Arthur Gualtieri, M.D., Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis Women of the Year Eartha Washington and Donna Furey; (front row, l. to r.): Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis Women of the Year Vera Martucci, Roberta Gualtieri, Linda Perno, Christine Lolas and Teresa Jarnich. The women of the Kiwanis Club of Astoria-Long Island City— "the part of the Kiwanis Club that gets all the projects fine tuned"— as outgoing President Tony Siano wrote in his President's Message in the event journal—were honored at the organization's annual cocktail party September 25.

The 11 women named are Rose Anne Alafogiannis, Donna Furey, Roberta Gualtieri, Laura Jean Hawkins, Teresa Jarnich, Anna Kril, Christine Lolas, Vera Martucci, Charlene Perno, Linda Perno and Eartha Washington. Panagiotis Manolas, M.D., chief of surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens, was honored as 2008 Man of the Year.

Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis Incoming President Paul Vallone (microphone in hand) acknowledges taking up his duties as Outgoing President Tony Siano (l.) and Linda Perno, treasurer, look on. Alafogiannis is a past president of the Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis and currently its recording corresponding secretary, a member of Community Board 1 and a member of the board of directors for SHAREing & CAREing breast and ovarian cancer support group. Furey is counsel to Queens County Clerk Gloria D'Amico and an elder law attorney with offices in Astoria. Gualtieri, wife of Dr. Arthur Gualtieri, is a lifelong Astoria resident and longtime member of the National Organization of Italian American Women. She retired from a distinguished 37-year career at Time Warner Inc. as director of facilities and associate director of minority and women business development.

Hawkins is Democratic State Committeewoman of the 36th Assembly District and principal lobbyist for the Dryfoos Group, a New York City-based lobbyist and government relations consulting firm. Anna Kril, founder and executive director of SHAREing & CAREing, is a former member of Community Board 1. Jarnich, a lifelong Astoria resident, is a mainstay of the Kiwanis annual Christmas auction. The Astoria-Long Island City Kiwanis last year named First Central Savings Bank Vice President Christine Lolas "2007 Woman of the Year". She is also a member of the SHAREing & CAREing advisory board and involved with the 30th Avenue Business Association.

Vera Martucci is the Astoria-Long Island City Kiwanis' most senior member. Martucci, the mother of Roberta Gualtieri, was widowed at 39 and had to relinquish a job in Manhattan and find work locally to support herself and her only child while living with her parents. Charlene Perno, a registered nurse at New York Hospital Queens, is the assistant nurse manager at the Jackson Heights Family Health Center.

Linda Perno, born and raised in Astoria, is a past president of the Astoria-Long Island City Kiwanis and currently treasurer. She is also a board member and past president of the Astoria Civic Association and for 20 years a member of Community Board 1. She is chairman of the board of the Broadway-Astoria Merchants and Professionals Association and was recently appointed to a seat on the Advisory Board of the Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens. With her husband, George, she has owned and operated Lincole Lithograph for almost 34 years.

After 31 years of service to New York City, Eartha Washington retired as director of contracts administration from the Capital Construction Division of the Department of Parks and Recreation. A lifelong resident of Astoria and Long Island City, she is the chair of the Elmhurst Hospital Center advisory board, a vice president of SHAREing & CAREing, a past president of the Astoria Civic Association and a past treasurer of the Taminent Democratic Women.

Siano wished all the honorees continued success in all of their future endeavors and called on the members to help President-Elect Paul Vallone make his time in office an outstanding experience.

Funds generated from the event will enable the Kiwanis Club of Astoria/Long Island City to give larger scholarships, purchase more Thanksgiving turkeys for the needy in the community and aid SHAREing & CAREing and Quality Services for the Autistic Community (QSAC), its two main donation recipients, and a number of other organizations.