VillageCare held its 15th Annual Legends of the Village gala affair on Nov. 4. More than 350 supporters gathered together for dinner and dancing at Tribeca Rooftop. The evening’s highlight was the awards ceremony honoring distinguished community members. Receiving the Village Business Legends Award was Michael Einstein, C.E.O. and President of Blueprint Technologies, Inc. Patricia Field, the famed designer and stylist, was honored with the William F. Passannante Award for her work and dedication to the advancement in careers for young fashion designers. The Distinguished Service Award went to Maria Passannante-Derr for her dedication to the community. Passannante-Derr, a former chairperson of Community Board 2, is the niece of former Assemblymember Bill Passannante. Special tribute was also paid to The Villager on its 80th anniversary. VillageCare honored current Publisher Jennifer Goodstein, as well as past publishers Elizabeth Butson, who is also a member of VillageCare’s board of directors, and John Sutter. VillageCare is a community-based, nonprofit organization serving older adults, persons living with AIDS/H.I.V. and other chronic diseases, and individuals in need of medical and rehabilitation services. It operates the rehabilitation and nursing center at 214 West Houston St. “Tonight, we are honoring some really special people and recognizing an important business institution,” said Emma DeVito, VillageCare president and C.E.O. “Your generosity helps VillageCare serve the people who come to us, many of them at their time of greatest need,” she told the audience.
