St. Christopher's, Inc. Announces Honorees for Annual Superhero Gala

Six outstanding individuals will be honored at the Annual Superhero Gala hosted by St. Christopher’s, Inc. on Thursday, April 30 at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown.

This year’s honorees are Michael Aisner of the Torch Foundation; Jessica Manfro and Christine Wexler of Mind Ur Body & Soul; John Dimling, St. Christopher’s board member and former Chairman and CEO of Nielsen Media Research; and John and Diane Durante of Durante Rentals.

Since its inception in 1881, St. Christopher’s has helped teens with emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities by providing a residential program encompassing comprehensive therapeutic, social and family services coordinated with special education schooling.

“We are ecstatic to recognize and honor these caring individuals and organizations for their contributions to St. Christopher’s. Each, in their own right and special way, has developed long lasting relationships with our students and staff and we are indebted to them for their continued and critically important support in helping us shape the lives of our students,” said Dr. Robert Maher, CEO. “The 2015 Gala will also give us the opportunity to celebrate the more than 300 people who serve more than 170 resident youths on three campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Valhalla and New Windsor.”

Honorees include:

John Dimling will receive the Humanitarian Award. Dimling, who is currently on the board for St. Christopher’s, had a distinguished career in media research, retiring from Nielsen Media Research as Chairman and CEO.

He has also held positions as the Executive Director of the Media Research Council, Director of Planning for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Research VP for the National Association of Broadcasters. He has been elected to the Market Research Council Hall of Fame, and holds the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). In addition to St. Christopher’s, Mr. Dimling currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Innerscope Corporation. Earlier board service has included The Arbitron Company, Chairman of the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF), The Center for Communications, The Masters School and Ardsley Country Club.

Michael Aisner of the Torch Foundation will receive the Philanthropist Award for his continued support for St. Christopher’s. As a member of the Board of Governors, Aisner was recently tasked with sourcing more corporate-based charities and to help raise awareness for the Foundation. The group’s success has allowed for donations to organizations including NYU Langone, Montefiore Children’s Hospital, Elizabeth Seaton Pediatric Center, Volunteers of America, and most recently, St. Christopher’s to host a Family Fun Day.

Aisner is a Portfolio Property Manager at RXR Realty where he has worked since the end of 2010. He is also an active member of BOMA New York and was recently honored to receive BOMA’s Building Manager of the Year Award in the 3-10 year category. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the New York Energy Consumer Council (NYECC) and was honored by the Starlight Foundation in 2013 for his charitable work.

John and Diane Durante of Durante Rentals will be honored with the Corporate Citizen Award for their efforts to further the mission of St. Christopher’s. In 2009, John Durante, his cousin, Anthony Durante, and colleague Christopher Jones founded Durante Rentals in the Bronx. Soon after, they opened a location in Mount Vernon, Queens and just last year another location was added in Elmsford.

John Durante is the youngest recipient of the esteemed Ellis Island Medal of Honor, given to a person living the life of an exemplary American, hard-working, continually self-improving while promoting their ethnic heritage in America. In 2006, he was awarded Westchester County Business Council’s 40 Under 40 Award. John Durante is secretary for the Board of Managers for the Trump Tower at City Center in White Plains and is a member of the White Plains Planning Board. He is also a former president of the Board of Directors of The Circle of Life Camp, a not-for-profit camp for children with diabetes. In 2013 John joined the Board of the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation (WMPF).

His wife, Diane Durante, works for Biodynamic Technologies. Along with the busy career in medical sales, Diane runs Durante Equities, a personal real estate investment firm. In 2013, Diane Durante was awarded the Westchester County Business Council’s 40 Under 40 Award and has maintained active in the Alumni Association. Diane Durante is also a member of the Alzheimer’s Association Blondes vs. Brunettes Flag Football to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Christine Wexler and Jessica Manfro of Mind Ur Body & Soul will receive the Volunteer Award. Christine Wexler is an advocate and influencer in the areas of youth development, family support, and community outreach. Christine has worked as a volunteer in her local community and schools for the past 15 years. In 2013, she dedicated her time in Rockaway, Queens after Hurricane Sandy. She was influential in assisting the grassroots effort to grow and successfully help those in need. Today, she is active within the community with a non-profit organization called Shore Soup.

Currently, Ms. Wexler is designing a residential youth program called Mind UR Body & Soul, which focused on “at risk” youth in transition by educating and exercising the mind and body through fitness and off campus outings. She has partnered with Jessica Manfro for this youth program. Mind UR Body & Soul’s mission is to introduce fitness into the girls’ lives, to help them make better choices, feel better about themselves and create a healthy attitude inside and out.

Jessica Manfro is a Certified Personal Trainer with AFAA and a CrossFit Level I Coach, currently coaching at CrossFit Peekskill. She is also competing for a spot at this year’s CrossFit Games held in California this summer. Fitness has always been an important part of Jessica’s life, first as a competitive gymnast, then in track and cross country, and running. Through CrossFit, she found her passion for competing, coaching, inspiring, motivating and helping others realize their fitness goals, always teaching that a strong body and strong mind go hand in hand. Being able to link two of her passions of fitness and helping others has been a wonderful experience for Ms. Manfro.

The Staff Appreciation Award will also be presented to Stanley Thompson, a St. Christopher’s alumni and current Youth Care Worker.

News12 Westchester Anchor Tara Rosenblum will be the emcee for the event. The co-chairs of the Annual Superhero Gala will be Geoff Thompson and Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson, Partners, Thompson & Bender; Eunice and Horace Turnbull of St. Christopher’s and Linda and Larry Weiss of Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office.

The reception for the Annual Superhero Gala will begin at 6:30 p.m. on April 30 at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown. The ticket cost is $250 per person and sponsorship packages are available. For ticket or sponsorship information, call (914) 693-3030 ext. 2313 or email kjohnson@sc1881.org.

About St. Christopher’s, Inc.
St. Christopher’s, Inc. is an innovative adolescent development organization dedicated to helping children with special needs and their families by delivering a seamless continuum of care. We provide quality education; therapeutic intervention and life planning skills in a safe and nurturing environment with the goal of helping each child reach his/her full potential. For more information visit www.sc1881.com.