Connie Milstein

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Visitors and residents of Washington, D.C., have just over a month left to see the Ford’s Theatre Society’s presentation of 1776, a Tony-winning musical directed by Peter Flynn. Connie Milstein is a long-standing supporter of the arts and serves on the Ford’s Theatre Society Board of Trustees.

1776 dramatizes the heated debates that took place during Philadelphia’s Second Continental Congress and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Patriots like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are trying to persuade the 13 colonies to separate themselves from the British following numerous abuses from the King. After much coercion, the colonial representatives present collaborate to write the Declaration of Independence, perhaps the most important document in the history of the United States.

“I am thrilled to direct this dynamic telling of our country’s beginnings in Washington,” said Flynn, who is making his mainstage directorial debut. “The men of our Second Continental Congress challenged a goliath empire to form a more perfect union, and amazingly, amidst the uncertainty, squabbling and sweltering conditions, produced a document that would guide the lives of all future Americans. This musical invigorates our national story and, with each viewing, reminds us of the governing principals worth fighting for.”

Tickets for the play are $25 ($20 for Ford’s Theatre Members and groups of 20 or more people). The play runs through May 19.

Last month Blue Star Families partnered with the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) to host the sixth annual Military Spouse Symposium and Career Fair in San Diego. More than 500 military spouses attended the event, dubbed “Keeping a Career on the Move” to learn about job opportunities in the area. Connie Milstein, a long-standing supporter of military families, serves on the Board of Directors for Blue Star Families.

The morning session included an employer panel with representatives from Facebook, United Way, the Society for Human Resource Management, who offered insight into who employers view military spouse job seekers.

“Employers not only provided practical information, but really motivated the attendees to focus on their strengths, work ethic, and value they bring no matter how many jobs or how many moves they’ve had,” said Monique Rizer, the deputy director of spouse programs for the Military Officers Association of America and the annual spouse symposium producer.

During the afternoon, participants were free to explore the career fair where over 50 local employers, many of whom are Military Spouse Employment Partners, were on hand to recruit and hire.

“The collaboration between public, private and nonprofit provided a balanced and powerful resource for military spouses,” said Communications Director for BSF, Stephanie Himel-Nelson.

In today’s world, most people are well-versed in Internet communication via social media networks. Whether it’s keeping in touch with an old classmate, marketing a small business or learning more about a new friend, nearly everyone is familiar with Facebook and similar websites. For military families especially, Facebook can be a very pivotal part of a family member’s deployment. Following an initiative announced on Veterans Day, Facebook and Blue Star Families have launched a Social Media Guide to better help military families communicate during these long deployments. Connie Milstein is a long-time supporter of Blue Star Families and their work with military families and serves on the nonprofit’s Board of Directors.

“Social media has completely altered the landscape of communication for today’s military families,” said Stephanie Himel-Nelson, the Communications Director for Blue Star Families. “But with each notable stride in technology comes greater responsibility and knowledge and that’s what this guide is designed to do.”

The guide is described by Facebook as “an easy-to navigate online handbook detailing everything from privacy settings to groups to Operational security and more – all tailored for today’s 21^st century military.” It is broken down into sections that give a basic overview of the social network and its set up, applications and messaging. It also details how the military is using Facebook to better connect unit leaders, service members, spouses and family members. One of the most important sections in the social media guide addresses common misperceptions about privacy and security and offers clarity and recommendations.

Connie Milstein and the other members of the Board of Directors for Blue Star Families are happy to announce that the 2012 military Spouse Symposium & Career Fair “Keeping a Career on the Movie,” will take place on Thursday, January 26, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif. The free event open to all military spouses, service members and veterans, is co-sponsored by BSF and the Military Officers Association of America. This year’s topic will help spouses looking for a job or preparing for a future career through career-development seminars, meet-and-greets with expert panelists and employers from regional and national companies, and onsite résumé advice.

In the morning, speakers will touch on topics like “Five Things Employers Want You to Know,” hosted by employers from the Society for Human Resource Management and others, and “Build Your Brand: Your Dependable Strengths,” which will encourage attendees to discover what they love about their career and how to better market themselves. Following a joint lunch between MOAA and West 2012 with keynote speaker SFC Leroy Petry, a Medal of Honor recipient, attendees will be free to visit employers and seminars of their choice.

“Blue Star Families and MOAA have a long history of working together successfully, through MOAA’s Spouse Council and BSF’s annual survey of military families,” said Mark Smith, executive director of Blue Star Families.

In October of 2010, New York-Presbyterian launched the Regional Health Collaborative, an initiative intended to reduce the number of hospital visits and preventable procedures among low-income and immigrant residents living in the communities of Washington Heights and Inwood. To date, the program has been a great success; the hospital has seen a reduction in the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations related to diabetes, asthma and congestive heart failure.

“So far the results have been very encouraging. A reduced need for emergency medical attention or hospitalization means more patients are getting the preventive and ongoing care they need,” said lead author J. Emilio Carrillo, M.D., who currently serves as vice president of community health at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

The hospital currently serves more than 60 percent of the 270,000 inhabitants of the Washington Heights and Inwood community, which is geographically bounded by the Hudson and Harlem Rivers. The New York-Presbyterian program is based around the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Network, which includes seven community health center practices and seven school-based centers in the area. It also connects residents with independent physicians and home health care providers in the community.

“The success of this program is a testament to the hospital’s longstanding commitment to the health of the communities we serve, as well as to an unprecedented collaboration between New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University, government agencies and community physicians and organizations,” said senior author Steven Corwin, M.D., the CEO of New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Connie Milstein has served as a trustee to the New York –Presbyterian hospital since 2000. She also oversaw the creation of the hospital’s Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center. Milstein is a long-time supporter of medical research; she also serves on the Board of Directors of CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy) and was the 2010 Chairman of “Heart’s Delight,” an annual actuaion and fundraiser in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Heart Association.

In 1998, the Humpty Dumpty Instutute (HDI) was established by a small group of successful and creative business entrepreneurs, including Connie Milstein, who stands as the organization’s co-founder and chairman emeritus. This successful group hoped to tackle international problems through the creation of specialized public-private partnerships. Since its inception, HDI has effectively strengthened the ties between the United Nations and the United States Congress through a series of non-partisan programs. Today, HDI is the only organization in the country that regularly sponsors visit by Members of Congress and their staff to the United Nations.

As part of HDI’s ongoing endeavor to invigorate the relationship between the U.N. and the U.S., the organization recently led a Congressional Staff Delegation to Africa. From August 9-12, a large group from Washington, along with representatives from the United Nations Foundation and Nothing But Nets, visited Yaoundé in Cameroon to participate in the country’s first nationwide malaria net campaign, which plans to give away 8.6 million malaria nets to the citizens of Cameroon.

During their stay in Cameroon, the delegates met with the Ministry of Health, United Nations Development Program, the Chantal Biva Foundation Children’s Hospital, Country Coordinating Mechanism and Cameroon’s Prime Minister, Philemon Yang, among many others. They were educated about the health and economic concerns of the disease, helped with malaria net distribution efforts, learned about malaria treatment and visited with children at an orphanage. Overall, the Congressional Staffers left Cameroon with a more solid knowledge of the damaging effect malaria has on African counties, but were hopeful that the nationwide net distribution would be a great success.

Connie Milstein is very involved with the well-known New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which was recently ranked the number one hospital in New York and the sixth-best hospital in the United States. This honor is not only due to the incredible work done by the hospital’s doctors and nurses, but also the work done behind the scenes to keep the hospital running. Connie Milstein, for example, is a hospital board member and trustee and serves on the Real Estate and Major Facilities Committee, the Join Conference Committee and the Quality and Performance Improvement Committee.

U.S. News Media & World Report evaluated almost 5,000 institutions to compile their 2011-2012 list of best hospitals. In addition to ranking high on the list, New York-Presbyterian made the U.S. News’ honor roll list for the 11th year in a row. The honor roll list highlights the hospitals that rank at or near the top in at least six specialties based on volume, reputation and other factors affecting patient care. The hospital ranks nationally for its excellent treatment in the areas of cancer; cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology; ear, notes and throat; gastroenterology; geriatrics; gynecology; nephrology; neurology and neurosurgery; ophthalmology; orthopedics; psychiatry; pulmonology; rheumatology; and urology.

In a statement, Dr. Herbert Pardes, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s president and CEO, shared his excitement at being included on the list for eleven consecutive years. “We are pleased to once again be ranked among the nation’s best hospitals,” he said. “Patients at our hoptial are cared for by some of the world’s leading physicians and surgeons who are dedicated to offering the most advanced treatment options in a compassionate and caring environment.”

In December, Connie Milstein hosted a beautiful reception to recognize the scientific work of Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), where she is on the Board of Directors. The event also honored Tammy Haddad as a Friend of the CURE.

The reception helped to raise awareness of the toll that epilepsy takes on those who have it and their families.  In addition, Connie Milstein announced at the reception, held at the Newseum, her generous gift of $500,000 to CURE. This money is being put into the Axelrod Milstein Challenge Grant which will be a two year program and will help to fuel the research needed to find a cure for epilepsy.

As Milstein explained that night in front of the hundreds of guests, “Susan works tirelessly to find a cure for epilepsy and seizure disorders. Like many families across the world, the Axelrods live with this disease every day, but their work, their strength, and their optimism give hope to so many, as they fight and live for a cure.”

The reception was attended by a large range of supporters and admirers from Wolf Blitzer and Howard Fineman to Betsy Fischer, Gloria Borger and Roger Simon.  Terry McAuliffe, Airzona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Bob Stevenson, Jane Oates and Rich Galen were all there as well.

It’s not often that you do something important for the world when you purchase a package of cookies; but once in a while this is actually the case.  Connie’s Bakery and General Store, owned by Connie Milstein, donates 100% of its after-tax profits to six non-profit organizations.  Each year, they change the list of non-profits, allowing many organizations to benefit from their efforts.

This year, Guiding Eyes for the Blind is one of the non-profit organizations benefiting from Foundation Sweet Success.  They are an internationally accredited, nonprofit guide dog school with over 50 years of providing the blind and visually impaired with Guiding Eyes dogs, training and support services.

Founded in 1956, Guiding Eyes for the Blind focuses on helping the blind and visually impaired to enjoy freedom of movement and independence.  They are one of the foremost guide dog schools in the world, with more than 7000 guide dog teams in place at this time.

Connie’s Bakery and General Store, with Connie Milstein, is proud to help Guiding Eyes for the Blind to fulfill its mission this year.

On February 24^th and 25^th, many Hollywood favorites came out to show their support for Blue Star Families, where Connie Milstein is on the Board of Directors.  The Creative Coalition joined with Blue Star Families to create a PSA to help raise awareness about suicide among military service members and their families.

Directed by Tim Daly, the co-President of The Creative Coalition, the PSA was scheduled to include Cher, Dana Delany, Hector Elizondo, Minnie Driver, Omar Epps, Richard Schiff and many others. Stars such as Susan Sarandon, Melissa Leo, Stanley Tucci, Ellen Barkin and many others have already lent their talent towards these efforts as well.

The PSA is scheduled to debut at the White House Correspondents Dinner weekend in Washington, D.C.