Allan Weissglass Distinguished Leadership Awards Gala

Click "Sponsor Our Event" under "Purchase" to see sponsorship packages.

The proceeds from the gala will support our Memory Loss Programs—Rosemary’s Place and My Place. These programs are vital to assist those with memory loss and their families as they provide in person services for individuals in need. Both program options allow for individuals to participate in programming that best meets their needs outside of their homes and allow caregivers to receive respite in order to attend work or other activities.

Sunday, May 15, 2022
Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC, 1466 Manor Road, Staten Island, NY
Cocktails 6pm, Dinner 7pm
Cocktail attire
Please RSVP by April 29th

Sponsorship packages include an ad in the Gala Journal, which will be displayed on live screens at the event. A link to the journal will also be sent out to all event and journal participants. A hard copy commemorative journal will be given to each honoree.

Enclose or send digital ads as text and images to SCohen@SIJCC.com. Text for full page ads should be no more than 100 words, half page no more than 50 words, and quarter page no more than 25 words. Any ads that are sent as images will be reworked to fit on our ad template.

Please RSVP with your ad or sponsorship level by April 22, 2022. Ads received after this date may not be able to be printed in the event journal.

Our Honorees

David Sorkin

After a 45+ year career in the not-for-profit sector, in July of 2020, David H. Sorkin has moved into a new phase of his professional life as a Senior Advisor and Consultant. David is a seasoned executive with over 35 years of human services leadership expertise. Prior to moving into his consulting business, for 15 years he served as the CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, NY where he was responsible for the operations and management of one of the largest human service agencies on Staten Island. In his new role as Senior Advisor and Consultant, David brings proficient experience to NFP agencies in need of interim management, fundraising and resource development, executive coaching, crisis management, governance and leadership development, and strategic planning. In addition to serving as CEO at the JCC of Staten Island, he has also served in the CEO position at the JCC of Metropolitan Detroit and the JCC of Delaware in Wilmington. Additionally, he worked in various positions at JCCs in Cherry Hill New Jersey, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. David has also worked as a national consultant for the JCC Association of North America.

Early in his career, he served as the Director of Combined Therapies at Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2007, during his tenure as the CEO of the JCC of Staten Island, David opened up the JCC’s 120,000 sq. ft. flagship facility along with the development and implementation of cutting-edge social/human service, recreational, educational, and cultural arts programs and services. Under his direction, the JCC significantly expanded its strategic alliances in the government, not-for-profit, and business sectors to further its mission. David developed strategic, effective communications to build the JCC’s brand identity, created strong, transparent and accountable financial management, and strategic, donor-centered fundraising. His planning and evaluation acumen has served to guide the JCC through several periods of crisis while supporting organizational capacity to meet challenges and achieve results.

David received his Associates in Recreation and Parks from The Pennsylvania State University and his Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and Master of Education from Temple University in Philadelphia. He was an Adjunct Professor, teaching Leadership in Business, in the School of Business at The College of Staten Island, CUNY. David serves as Trustee on the Staten Island Not-for-Profit Association, where he was Board President and Chair of the Community Organizations Active in Disaster Coalition. He is a Board member of Hebrew Public, an NYC Charter School, and a past board member of the Staten Island Long Term Recovery Organization and The Association of Jewish Community Professionals. He also serves on many committees and councils including the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, the Staten Island Tackling Youth Substance Abuse Steering Committee, and the Staten Island Borough Presidents Health and Wellness Advisory Council. David was also appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo as the Co-Chair of the NYS Rising Steering Committee, and by Mayor Bill de Blasio on the Climate Advisory Committee. David has been honored by various organizations for his service to the community, including; The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award; Wagner College, Chai Society Humanitarian Award; The Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, Star of David Award; Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, Unsung Heroes Award; United Activities Unlimited, Edward G. Kepley, Jr. Unsung Hero Award; and the Staten Island Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Distinguished Service to Youth Award.

David lives on Staten Island with his wife Arlene. Their daughter, Kristi Sorkin, son-in-law Randy Topper and their children Eden and Shana also reside on Staten Island.

Stephen Blumert

Stephen has spent a lifetime affiliated with the JCC movement. Starting as a day camper from the Bronx attending Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds he worked his way up to becoming the President of the Board of our Staten Island JCC and a member of the Boards of the UJA/Federation of New York and the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds.

With his wife Judy, they moved to Staten Island to raise their two children Matthew and Jessica, both of whom are now married with children of their own. All five grandchildren, Jace, Eloise, Hayden, Blair, and Austin are unique and a source of great joy.

When he is not volunteering for the JCC or enjoying his family, Steve works as a partner at the Manhattan law firm of Beldock Levine & Hoffman LLP where he practices in the areas of real estate and trusts and estates. He is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, Syracuse University (A.B. 1976), Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D., 1979), and New York University School of Law (LL.M Taxation, 1985). He is admitted to the Bar in both New York and New Jersey.

Two parts transactional Real Estate Attorney and one part trust & estates practitioner, Steve provides his firm with insights gained from his years of experience. He has worked on a broad range of commercial matters such as condominium offerings, shopping center acquisitions, commercial leasing and business formation and operation. Yet he also is able to work on the very personal family issues that arise when planning an estate, preparing wills and providing guidance when an estate is being administered.

Stephen is grateful for the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for our Agency. The importance of our mission for persons of all ages and all faiths cannot be overemphasized. He considers the long hours spent on JCC matters to be a labor of love and he is proud for his reputation for chairing good meetings.

He is an avid photographer and a passionate golfer.

About Allan Weissglass

Allan Weissglass, the namesake of the Distinguished Leadership Award, was a pillar at the JCC for more than 50 years. He was an inimitable community leader whose deep inner strength, courage, and tenacity knew no bounds. A successful businessman, husband, father, grandfather, mentor, and cherished friend, he presided over the Weissglass family’s business holdings, also applying his substantial skills as a businessman to a legion of Island civic and cultural organizations. Weissglass was born on Staten Island in 1935 and graduated from Curtis High School in 1952. After graduating from Cornell University, he married Roberta “Bobby” Lewin, and they had two children, Julie and Evan. He spent his career operating two companies – Weissglass Gold Seal Dairy, the family milk processing and ice cream business, and the Magruder Color Company, which manufactured pigments for printing ink. Allan was very active in the JCC beginning at the age of 4. He joined the JCC Board of Directors at the young age of 30. He said the JCC helped him and his family assimilate into the Staten Island community. Intelligent, quiet, unassuming, shy, and compassionate, Allan was a worker, a doer, and a legendary fundraiser. Known for his propensity to ask friends to donate to worthy causes, Weissglass was delighted when his friends told him, “It’s expensive to be your friend,” because of his gentle but determined fundraising. Allan’s devotion to Judaism was well known, but he cut across religious or any other lines to serve whatever organizations that needed his attention. He brought his talents and energy to the JCC, and his incredible impact there is known across Staten Island. In 1994, he received the JCC’s first Distinguished Leadership Award, which was subsequently named for him. Allan touched every aspect of the present day JCC. Whether it was expansion to the Avis/South Shore, the monumental capital campaign to fund the building of the Bernikow, or the opening of the JCC/Berman ECE building, Allan was key. He passed away in 2019, but his legacy lives on at the JCC, not only through his good works, but through his granddaughter, Allison Cohen, who serves as the agency's Director of Marketing & Communications.