Connie Milstein

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Connie Milstein, co-founder of the Humpty Dumpty Institute (HDI), can take pride in the foundation’s Landmine Education Tour.  This enables participants to learn all about landmine action and how it impacts many people in other parts of the world.  Because Americans thankfully do not have to live their everyday lives in fear of war-related debris, it is absolutely natural that they would not understand what it means to be impacted in this way.  But the Milstein-founded Humpty Dumpty Institute, that is “putting the pieces back together,” sees this all the time in other less-fortunate, war-torn countries.  Education is thus key, if efforts are to be made with the citizens in these countries who have to think twice about what should be a simple walk to the local store or playground.

Connie Milstein on Supporting the HDI

So naturally, someone as closely connected to the HDI as Connie Milstein would welcome such an innovative, educational tour. As well as being informative, it is “a great way to encourage individuals to support the important work that HDI” is undertaking along with other organizations with similar goals.  What is good about destroying a landmine is that it is a one-time effort so this kind of problem is definitely solvable.  Once it is solved, the lives of the individuals affected by it can completely turnaround.  What a great way to help people in the world less fortunate than ourselves, by participating in this worthy project; just a one-time solution to a potentially fatal problem.

This year’s Heart’s Delight weekend was a huge success.  Held in early May, the Heart’s Delight weekend of events was chaired by Connie Milstein.

At the Vintner’s Dinner, all guests raised their glasses to honor Constance Milstein, who has been a long-time benefactor of the American Heart Association with her husband Jhan-Christophe de La Haye Saint Hilaire.

The Executive Vice President of the AHA, David Markiewicz, praised Connie Milstein’s support for heart research as he highlighted her dedication in gathering support for the annual series of events.

During the evening, approximately 400 guests had the pleasure of dining on a six-course meal while enjoying wines from Chateau Margaux.

Laura Dempsey is one of the founders of Blue Star Families, an organization which recently added Connie Milstein to their Board of Directors. Ms. Dempsey founded BSF in order to fill in what she saw as a large gap in the knowledge Americans had about military families. Ms. Dempsey felt that because little was really known about the everyday lives of military families, it was hard for the public to understand the successes and challenges of these families. She believed that by bringing awareness to the public, civilians could connect more readily with the military families, help support them, and generally share in the service to our nation that the military families bear, for the most part, on their own.

Laura Dempsey is the wife of Major Jason Dempsey, who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. The Dempsey family is stationed at Fort Drum, in New York, but in their eleven years of marriage of already moved seven separate times, to five different U.S. states. Laura is a civil rights lawyer and, for the past ten years, has worked for the rights of children and families, including helping to draft federal legislation to protect families and the children within them.

Last weekend, Heart’s Delight, which raises money for the American Heart Association, took place in Washington D.C.  One of the highlights of this elegant series of events was the annual Vintners Dinner.  Held this year at the Mellon Auditorium, and chaired, along with all of the other events, by Connie Milstein, the Vintners Dinner included a lavish six course meal with eight wines by Bordeaux.

This first picture features Bordeaux negotiant Philippe Tappie, consultant Cathy Porter, American Heart Association board chair Dean Morehouse and the Sotheby auctioneer Jamie Richie.

Here, they’ve captured four other participants enjoying the Vintner’s Dinner.  This picture includes Tammy Haddad, John Coale, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Constance Milstein Countess de La Haye St. Hilaire.

Blue Star Families is an organization which was founded by military families in order to support, connect and empower military families. The influence of BSF is widespread, with a presence in over 70 military bases throughout the world. BSF is proud to have a dynamic National Leadership Team which is comprised of the spouses and other family members of the active duty, military personnel, including national guardsmen, reservists and veterans who are serving in all of the branches of the U.S. military.

Connie Milstein recently became a member of the board of directors of BSF- a natural extension of Mrs. Milstein’s long-term commitment to and concern for military families. Connie Milstein’s support has extended to donating, on more than one occasion, special confections from her baked goods shop, Connie’s Bakery, adding a sweet touch to the special programing BSF organized on behalf of their families. Whether it is brownies, cookies or cakes, treats from Connie Milstein’s bakery says, “We love you and support you!” in the sweetest way possible.

In recent Blue Star Families news, Marie Matheson of Georgia decided to do something about a recent Blue Star Families survey.  In a recent survey, 94% of military families surveyed felt that the larger community doesn’t understand or appreciate their sacrifices as part of the military.

Shocked by this statistic, Marie decided to take matters into her own hands.  As the director of the Georgia chapter of BSF, she wrote letters to the governor of Georgia and the mayors of Georgia towns with military bases asking that they make April the “Month of the Military Child.”  Seven mayors and city councils responded and Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue declared May “Military Families Month.”  One mayor actually made the entire year of 2009 the “Year of the Military Family!”

Now, she has sent out a challenge to all other state directors to follow suit. This is an example of the amazing commitment that makes Blue Star Families, where Connie Milstein is a Board Member, stand out and make people proud.

Connie’s Bakery donated 400 tins of brownies to the soldiers of Fort Drum who returned home for a Christmas family reunion and redeployment. However, not all the tins were immediately distributed due to the delay of several flights to a time past the freshness date on the brownies. In order not to let any of the brownies go to waste, it was decided that it would be a nice idea to distribute the remaining brownies at chapel to the families attending the Christmas vigil services on post. After Mass the priest allowed Laura Dempsey (BSF co-founder and Vice Chairman of Army Spouse Support at Fort Drum) got up and told the congregants about Blue Star Families, and Connie’s Bakery.

“When I got to the part about how Connie’s wanted to thank the 10th Mountain families for their service and sought us out to distribute 400 tins of brownies for them, the audience actually gasped. We were swarmed after the service – everybody wanted to know about BSF and how we got the brownies. People were genuinely touched and impressed. It was a really special experience.”

A heart-warming homecoming event near Christmas for soldiers at Fort Drum was made even sweeter by a donation of 400 tins of brownies from Connie’s Bakery. Connie Milstein, founder of Connie’s Bakery, in coordination with Blue Star Families, made sure that in addition to the smiling faces, hugs, kisses and signs reading, “Welcome Home” and “We Missed You” from the loving families, that there was a big thank you from Connie as a representative of the rest of the country to show their love and appreciation for the sacrifice of the soldiers and their families.

When the tins of brownies were first opened, there was a fear that perhaps not all of them would be distributed due to the fact that many of the people they were offered to politely declined. That all changed, however, when one brave soldier finally took a brownie saying, “Sure I’ll try one.” With his remark that, “Those are GOOD brownies” the atmosphere changed now that the brownies has this soldiers enthusiastic seal of approval.  After that there were no more polite refusals of brownies, and they went like hotcakes.

Upon hearing the origin of the brownies, the families expressed warm gratitude to Connie Milstein, Connie’s Bakery and Blue Star Families. It was a sweet welcome home with a sweet thank you gift from Connie’s Bakery.

On Thursday, February 18, 2010 Connie’s Bakery participated in the second annual “Storybook Fantasy Night” by donating brownies which were distributed to the fifty children who were in attendance. The Fantasy Night took place at The Clubs of Quantico, Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia. In addition to the fifty children there were 25 parents and an another 25 support people there to either help with the event or as presenters providing information about useful organizations found at the Quantico Marine Corps Base.

After the buffet dinner the children went to different corners around the room to listen to a volunteer, dressed like their favorite fairy tale character reading their favorite fairy tale book. At twenty minute intervals the children moved to the next corner to listen to another story. At the end of the reading session the children were given a ticket to trade for a book from Marine Corps Community Service (MCCS) and the books which were also donated by Nieman Marcus.

At the end of the evening each family was given a brown container containing a delicious brownie from Connie’s Bakery. The donation was a way to say thank you to the Marines and their families for the sacrifices that they are all making in service to their country. Coordinated through Connie Milstein and the Blue Star Family organization, “Storybook Fantasy Night” was a great success judging by the grateful, heart-warming reactions the families expressed as the evening came to a close.

Each year the American Heart Association hosts a delightful three day program called Heart’s Delight.  This program includes fantastic food and wine, and a fundraising auction for the American Heart Association.

Events planned for this year include a Private Dinner Series at embassies, restaurants and private homes around Washington D.C. on May 6, 2010; a Vintners Dinner on May 7; and the Grand Tastings and Auctions on May 8^th.  The Grand Tastings and Auctions include seated tastings, food and wine classes, chefs stations, wine stations, a silent auction, a live auction, and a cheese and dessert course.

This year, the American Heart Association is honored to have Connie Milstein serving as the 2010 Chairman of the Heart’s Delight program.  Her dedication to heart research is constant and unwavering.