43rd Annual Golf & Tennis Classic

Join us for our 43rd Annual JCC Golf and Tennis Classic.

GOLF

Check-in at 10:30am

at Golf Course Clubhouse, 1121 Todt Hill Road

Brunch 10:30am - 11:45am

Warm-up Massage

Tee-off 12:00pm Shotgun

TENNIS

Check-in at Richmond County Country Club, 135 Flagg Place

Registration & Breakfast 8:30am

Drills & Clinic 9:00am-10:00am

Open Play 10:00am - 1:00pm

Lunch 1:00pm

Tennis whites required

DINNER

Reception 5:45pm

BBQ Buffet Dinner 6:30pm

Live Auction & Raffles

Honoree Presentations

Golf & Tennis Contests, Gifts & Prizes

Proper attire required for dinner (no jeans)

Honorees

Amerosi Family, Gerald Peters

JCC Distinguished Service Award

For over 40 years and two generations, Gerald Peters has been servicing the Staten Island and Brooklyn community with the best of the jewelry industry. Truly a family owned and operated second generation business, Gerald Peters helps families share love, celebrate memories, and cherish life's most precious moments.

Established in 1982 in Caesar's Bay Bazaar in Brooklyn by Jerry Amerosi Sr., what was once known as Goldmine began as a single showcase of children's charms. In 1992, Goldmine expanded to a freestanding location on 18th Avenue, where Jerry added "Gerald Peters" to the name, after his two sons, Gerald and Peter.

Today, Gerald Peters is recognized as a luxury jeweler, carrying the most prestigious brands for bridal and fashion jewelry as well as watches

Jerry, Gerald and Peters always give back to their community, donating both jewelry and their time to countless organizations, foundations, and events.

Rocco Berardi

JCC Community Service Award

Rocco migrated from Ruvo Di Puglia, in the province of Bari, Italy in November 1970. He is a graduate from the "Instituto Technico Industriale Montani di Fermo" with a degree in electronics.

Rocco is married to his wife Carol for 51 years and they reside in Sunnyside, Staten Island. They are blessed with three daughters and ten grandchildren.

He began working for MetLife on December 2, 1972 as an executive sales representative and has enjoyed a successful career ever since. Rocco was inducted into the MetLife Hall of Fame in 1994 and in 2008. This gained him access into the MetLife Hall of Fame and top of the tower. He is a member of the million dollar round table. For the past 50 years, Rocco has received numerous awards for his accomplishments in the industry.

Rocco’s contributions to the community include his membership with the Italian Club of Staten Island Foundation, promoting Italian culture and heritage. He and his wife were honored on June 10, 2007 by this organization. Rocco has been a long-time member of Gateway Rotary and installed as its president in June, 2010. Rocco and his wife were awarded a Paul Harris Fellow in 2011 and both were honored by the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in 2012 and awarded a certificate of special congressional recognition for their community involvement.

Rocco and Carol were given the Humanitarian Award by the New York Grand Lodge, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy at their Winter Charity Ball on January 27, 2017, and received citations from the Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, a New York State Assembly citation from Assemblyman Anthony D'urso, and a proclamation from Thomas P. Di Napoli, State Comptroller.

Rocco served on the advisory committees for the Friends of the College of Staten Island and Skylight Center, a clubhouse for the mentally challenged. Rocco is currently a board member of Park Slope Mental Health Society.

Rocco is very supportive of his wife’s activities and other worthwhile organizations such as Staten Island University Hospital, Richmond University Medical Center, and the JCC in the Staten Island community. Although Rocco enjoys many various activities, his passion is tennis.

Rev. Dr. Demetrius Carolina, Sr., Central Family Life Center

JCC Pride of Staten Island Award

Rev. Dr. Demetrius S. Carolina, Sr., is widely recognized as a renowned spiritual leader who is a strong advocate for justice, human rights, and educational equity. He maintains a respected reputation as a man of conviction, consistently demonstrating shared leadership and a commitment to his congregations, the larger community, and issues affecting the global human community. Having a deep concern for issues that relate to spiritual empowerment, economic equity, educational development, and human rights, his work has taken him to several continents on behalf of these issues. He has built a school in Paynesville, Liberia, West Africa, and oversees five churches throughout the country.

Presently, Rev. Dr. Carolina serves on the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) as a Mayoral appointee. He previously served on the NYC Water Board until 2020 and served in 2015 as a Human Rights Commissioner for five years. He is also an Executive Board Member of the largest federally qualified Healthcare center in the Borough of Staten Island, The Community Health Center of Richmond County (CHCR). He formerly served on the Staten Island University Hospital Board of Directors for five years. Dr. Carolina is the recipient of various other awards and recognitions. Some recent awards include the 2022 NYC Commission on Human Rights Trailblazer award, the 2021 City and State top 100 Staten Islanders award, the Staten Island District Attorney Community Leadership Award, the 2019 Louis R. Miller Leadership Award, and the 2017 New York City Council MLK Community Award and the Stapleton UME Dreamers award to name a few. He is the founder of The Staten Island Black History Town Hall Meeting and served as lead advocate in bringing the nationally recognized Eagle Academy to Staten Island. He is also the founder and organizer of the first and only Cure Violence Initiative on Staten Island, known as True 2 Life.

Additionally, he has grown the nonprofit community-based organization that he led to a multimillion-dollar operation with partnerships connecting Staten Island to the other five boroughs in a meaningful manner. As an educator and active proponent of higher education, Rev. Dr. Carolina has received numerous awards and certificates for outstanding service, leadership, merit, and scholastic excellence. He has served as an educator for over 25 years in the classroom and administration. A few of his posts include Adjunct and Associate Professor of Applied Science, Health Education, Sociology, Cross-Cultural Diversity Upward Bound Counselor, and Student Advocate. He holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration Leadership from Temple University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership/Management from the University of Phoenix. He also accomplished postgraduate work at New York University, CUTS Theological Seminary, Westminster Seminary Graduate Studies Program, and Philadelphia College of the Bible.

Rev. Dr. Carolina answered the call to the gospel ministry at age 16. His missionary work has been worldwide, and his preaching/teaching ministry has spanned the globe. Since 2005 Rev. Dr. Carolina has been serving as Senior Pastor of the First Central Baptist Church in Staten Island, New York. He constantly contributes to the betterment of the Staten Island community by providing solid educational advocacy and economic development and facilitating bold community partnership initiatives, benefiting various community organizations. As the Central Family Life Center Executive Director, he has raised awareness of service needs. He has sought to offer a more significant collaborative response to the community through the Life Center. Rev. Dr. Carolina administers strategies to ensure the operation and sustainability of the Life Center and oversees a city-funded after-school program, a senior citizen program, prison recidivism, mental health support, youth recreation, and various other community enhancement projects.

Moreover, Rev. Dr. Carolina has co-authored several peer review research studies, in addition to the popular book “Let There Be Light, Creating a Life Worth Living.” Likewise, he is currently the president of “Clergy with a Purpose,” a citywide ecumenical clergy and citizen empowerment organization. Also, he is an adjunct professor at St. John’s University in the School of Education.

Furthermore, Rev. Dr.Carolina is a member and an award recipient of the NAACP and has sat on numerous local and national boards. A few include MBD Community Housing Corporation and Hampton University Ministers’ Conference. Rev. Dr. Carolina is married to the lovely Josenia Ruiz-Carolina and is the father of four wonderful children, Dior Isaiah, DeLisa Mona, Demetrius Solomon Carolina II, and Demetri Rafael Carolina.

Laura & Mark Lauria

Helene & Ronald Leventhal Community Service Award

Natives of Staten Island Mark and Laura Lauria are the parents of three daughters (Christine Lauria Badalamenti, Dr. Jennifer Lauria, and Tricia Lauria Flood) and seven grandchildren (Olivia, Sofia, Christian, Alex, Abby, Amelia, and Audrey). They make their home in the Todt Hill neighborhood of Staten Island.

Both are deeply involved in fundraising for SIUH and Northwell facilities, including the new Women and Baby Center, sonogram machines, and entertainment for children undergoing cancer treatment. They are also enthusiastic supporters of Eger's Nursing Home and made it possible to implement state of the art technology at that facility. Mr. and Mrs. Lauria are both inaugural members of the DaVinci Society of Wagner College.

Mark Lauria has been a member of the Board of Directors of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden for over 20 years. He and his wife Laura co-founded Mark Lauria Associates, Inc. in 1979, an independent insurance agency on Staten Island. In 2004, they formed a second agency, Mark Lauria Associates of N.J., Inc., based in Red Bank, N.J.

He recalls being ten years old in grammar school, where he would walk around Snug Harbor and see the Snugs out on the benches in their three-piece suits with their fedora hats, and farm animals still lived on the grounds. He enjoyed how the resident sailors talked to the kids and told them stories. "I never dreamed when walking around as a child that many years later I would be serving as Chairman of the Board for this spectacular place," he said.

Mr. Lauria is a recognized leader in the insurance industry, both on a local as well as national level. After three decades, his agencies have gained a reputation for providing the best protection available. For over 30 years, he has supported the Staten Island community by serving on numerous boards and helped to raise millions of dollars for local cultural and medical institutions.

He is a 2020 recipient of the Louis R. Miller Award from the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, honoring business leaders committed to the community. He was a member of the board of Notre Dame Academy working diligently to raise essential funding to keep the school thriving in Grymes Hill, in addition to being the co-honoree for the Notre Dame Academy Centennial in 2014 and on their finance committee for 6 years.

Laura Doerken Lauria graduated with a bachelor of science degree from St. Francis College and has a master's in public administration from Long Island University. A graduate of St. Vincent's Nursing School, Laura received an RN degree and worked in the pediatric department and for the director of medicine of St. Vincent's before retiring in 1993. She is co-owner with her husband for the past 40 years of one of Staten Island's leading insurance brokerage firms, Mark Lauria Associates, Inc.

She has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Staten Island University Hospital since 2001 and for the SIUH Foundation Board since 2005. She was nominated and awarded Trustee of the Year by the United Hospital Fund for the North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital System in 2012. Laura also served as a board member for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation from 1997 to 2017.

Laura has been the chairperson of the Staten Island Hospital Quality Committee for the past 5 years, and participated in SIUH weekly safety rounds since its inception. She is also the Staten Island representative for the Northwell Health Systems Quality Committee for their monthly meetings.

Laura was awarded the Community Leadership Award as one of the Staten Island Top Women in Business in 2015, and the Community Health Hero Award by the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation in 2017. In 2016, Industry Magazine covered Laura's successful career in hospital systems and community involvement.

GOLF & TENNIS CLASSIC COMMITTEE

EVENT CO-CHAIRS

Alan Poritz, Angie Master & Gail Decker

COMMITTEE

John Atkins

Murray Berman

Alan Bernikow

Mike Bloomfield

Lori Ann Carroll

Jay Chazanoff

Laura Colonna

Ian Dahlberg

Cyndi Dinkins

Roberta Divuolo

Mary Dujmich

Abbey Fishman

Jill Gottlieb

Allan Katz

Mitch Lowell

Glen Mancuso

Dean Marlin

Michael Motelson

Robert Myers

Ed Perpetua

Mike Reape

Jeffrey Saltiel

Cory Schifter

Lenore Schwartz

Tim Sullivan

Joanna Tricorache

Robert Vidal

Alex Ziselman

JCC BOARD PRESIDENT

Susan Sappin

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Orit Lender

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Anita Bruckmeir

CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

Allison Cohen

SPECIAL EVENTS COORDINATOR

Sylvia Cohen

Funds raised at this event allow us to award camp scholarships to children who are desperately in need. Some of these scholarships go to children with special needs, offering them a joyous and safe summer at no cost to their families. Your support will directly impact Staten Island families who need our help the most