Connie Milstein

The Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center, which celebrated its opening this past February 1st, will continue the tradition of excellence which the New York Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center is world renown for. Rated as one of the ten best hospitals in the country by “U.S. News and World Report” and the best in New York, NY Presbyterian will add three of only eleven cutting-edge Zeego 3-D circular X-ray machines found in the United States to its already excellent inventory of equipment.  These machines will offer improved, non-invasive evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of heart problems and other related ailments.

Connie Milstein represented the Milstein Family at the inaugural ceremony held on January 20th. Her family donated $50 million of the $260 million spent to create and appoint this amazing new facility.

Dr. Herbert Pardes, the CEO and president of the New York Presbyterian Hospital explained at the opening ceremony the importance of and hope for the new Milstein Family Heart Center:

“As we open the doors to the Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center, we look at the future of heart care, with advanced inpatient and outpatient care, including new minimally invasive treatment options, available together under one roof. This building honors the longstanding vision and support of the Vivian and Seymour Milstein family and signals a unique hospital setting where heart patients have access to the very best care, delivered with compassion in a comfortable and family-friendly environment.”

Military families were certainly happy recently, as they indulged in the 400 tins of brownies that were delivered to Fort Drum in time for Christmas!  Connie Milstein, a Blue Star Families Board Member, and her bakery teamed up to create a great Christmas surprise for the newly reunited families at Fort Drum.  Her bakery donated 400 tins of brownies to the families at Fort Drum, so that they would enjoy this delicacy to help celebrate their Christmas redeployment.

Carmen Blackmore, the Fort Drum interim chapter director explained that the soldiers and their families “were impressed by Connie’s & Blue Star Families support and even more impressed how good the brownies were.”

Hear Susan Axelrod, founder of CURE, discuss the organization and the viewing of the 60 Minutes segment about the organization. Join together with so many others, including CURE board members such as Connie Milstein, to learn more about this organization that raises awareness of, and money for, epilepsy research.

Among her many other socially-responsible activities, Connie Milstein owns Connie’s Bakery & General Store in downtown Mt. Kisco, New York.  What makes this business venture so unique is that 100% of Connie’s net profits are donated to charitable causes.

In addition to the financial contributions that the store makes, it also offers a myriad of other benefits for local residence.  Certainly, it provides employment for people in the neighborhood.  In addition, Connie’s employees take part in a unique one-year, full-time baking apprenticeship program.  They are trained for the entire year by Simeon Manber, the Executive Pastry Chef and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

At the end of their one-year apprenticeship, Connie’s Bakery & General Store helps them to move into permanent positions in the food service industry.  They then get ready to recruit and train another batch of apprentices!

In late November, 2009 the Humpty Dumpty Institute helped to relieve some of the suffering of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) of Sri Lanka. Connie Milstein, who is chairwoman of the board of directors of the HDI and is also a co-founder, was pleased to note that over $300,000 worth of humanitarian aid was distributed, consisting of, supplies for schools, orphanages and hygienic kits.

The funding for this aid was generously supplied by LDS Charities in the wake of the recent violent conflicts in Sri Lanka. The variety of supplies distributed included 1,855 hygiene kits to the women’s detention camp where about 2,000 IDPs are located. On the same day, November 25th, school kits and orphanage kits were distributed at another camp.
The leading role in which Connie Milstein played in the betterment if the IDPs in Sri Lanka speaks volumes about her caring and concern for the many people in need around the world.

Connie Milstein, along with the other co-founders of the Humpty Dumpty Institute is interested in creating innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors in order to solve some of the world’s more daunting problems. Using unique and creative programming, HDI is now concerned with improving communications between the United States Congress and the United Nations.  Some of the more specific tasks the HDI is striving to accomplish are removal of mines from vast areas around the world to free up the land for agriculture and other uses and to keep civilians safe; and reducing and/or eliminating hunger domestically and internationally.

Connie Milstein is well known for her active participation in and support of the Democratic Party in the United States. As such Ms. Milstein has taken on the responsibility of Treasurer of the Democratic Governors Association.

At the moment the DGA represents and supports the 28 Democrats who hold the office of Governor. However, this past year combined with the coming year, 2010, thirty nine governors will be elected. For many of these states, who the governor will be will effect a generation of elections for congress and legislative races; due to the upcoming redistricting process which demarcates districts that crucially influences election outcomes.

The Republicans have clearly stated that they will be manipulating the redistricting process to their benefit. The DGA will be at the forefront making certain that the Republicans will not accomplish their stated goal.

The Democratic Governors Association is a political organization which is independent and voluntary. It was organized to offer support to all the Democratic governors across the United States.

Connie Milstein is the treasurer of DGA, whose function will be crucial as the elections of 2010 loom closer. Especially pressing will be the redistricting process in many states which can have a huge effect on election outcomes for congress and other legislative races to last the entire decade to come. The DGA is the only organization today which is able to and striving towards blocking the threatened manipulation of the redistricting process by the Republican Party.

Also provided by the DGA to its members is expert advice on policy, conducting several conferences a year on a variety of extremely relevant subjects including biotechnology and life sciences, and the impact on the economy of the new energy technologies.

Also crucial for the governors, the DGA participates in election campaigns on all levels, including bringing to the campaigns sources of funding and other resources plus helping deliver and articulate the candidates and Party’s distinct message.

Very active in the Democratic Party, Connie Milstein holds the office of Treasurer in the voluntary and independent Democratic Governors Association.

Expressing disappointment, while simultaneously looking ahead to the future, the executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, (DGA), stated his analysis of the double Democratic loss in early November 2009 of two key governorships, those in New Jersey and Virginia.

“We knew both these races would be tough, and although we’re disappointed in the results, we’re not discouraged in our greater mission,” said Nathan Daschle.

“Tomorrow marks the first day of the 2010 election cycle, when four out of five Americans will choose a governor. While we wish tonight’s results in two states would’ve been different, we’re preparing for the fight ahead in 37 states. It is a fight to restore prosperity, to build the middle class, and to elect strong democratic governors.”

Axelrods with Connie Milstein

The premiere news program “60 Minutes” highlighted the ongoing struggle families endure when a member is stricken with epilepsy. Although more people have epilepsy than Parkinson’s, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis combined, the money invested in research into this frightening illness dwarf these other sicknesses.

As is her usual generous way, Connie Milstein made her elegant home in Georgetown the location for hundreds of friends and Washington, D.C. personalities to watch together the “60 Minutes” segment and learn more about epilepsy and its effect on families and the search for better treatments.

Follow the link for more information about CURE, the organization Susan Axelrod began in order to raise funding for research and increase awareness about epilepsy after her daughter, Lauren, was born with a severe type of epilepsy, which could not be controlled with medication, or in any other way.