In a city where the rich, the famous and the powerful always seem to grab the headlines, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we have so many wonderful everyday heroes around us. While they may not wear capes and spandex leotards, or have any special powers (that we know of), they strive to always do good and never hesitate to help families in need. This year’s Family Heroes—a small sampling of the true do-gooders out there—continues to amaze us with their steadfast devotion, their selfless hearts and their inspirational desire to help make New York City a better place for families. ---

Chief Animal Enthusiast: Jon Forrest Dohlin, Director of the New York Aquarium

By Cristina Dimen

With a background in biology and architecture, Jon Forrest Dohlin never thought he’d realize his lifelong dream by combining both disciplines on his journey to becoming Director of the New York Aquarium.

Using his love for creative expression, Dohlin worked on the design team for the Congo Gorilla Forest in the Bronx Zoo right out of graduate school. He went on to lead similar projects for the aquarium during his 10 years at the zoo’s design department.

In 2008, his career path led to the New York Aquarium where his duties now entail meeting with staff and donors, ensuring the integrity of the facilities and the collection, collaborating with trainees and choreographers on shows, as well as designing exhibits. 

Dohlin shares the knowledge gained through his years with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and his passion for the marine environment when he takes on his favorite task—giving tours. He loves interacting with families, dignitaries and members, and appreciates the excited look kids get when they realize, “it’s so much cooler than they even imagined to be close to animals, [and] to get to see the people that work with them.”

“Almost every child has an innate, intrinsic love and fascination with animals,” he says, encouraging parents to bring their little ones to the aquarium, which is open 365 days a year. Children of all ages can experience fun, educational programs—such as the popular Aquatheater or the Sea Lion Celebration, where a select group meet trainers and pose for pictures with the animals.

Over 750,000 annual visitors enter the gates of Brooklyn’s primary cultural attraction—mostly locals coming from within a 10-mile radius. “We are extremely proud of our history and our present role as the anchor of Coney Island,” states Dohlin.

To run a cohesive operation, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Without hesitation, Dohlin credits WCS and the aquarium staff who “are amazing people [who] get me energized and make me feel privileged to work with them every day.”

But for WCS and the New York Aquarium to continue their mission of connecting people to nature, Dohlin explains that fundraising starts primarily through paying for admission tickets, sampling fare at the café or purchasing souvenir photos or gifts. Guests ready for a deeper level of commitment can become a WCS member, patron or donor.

Looking ahead, Dohlin shares that exciting things are underway. “We’re very close to breaking ground on our new shark exhibit, which is going to be an utterly transformative exhibit. It’s a great opportunity to get people engaged, involved and passionate about one of the biggest and most important challenges in conservation right now, which is the decline in shark population,” he enthuses. “I want to get this exhibit built and opened.”

For more information, visit nyaquarium.com. Photo by Julie Larsen Maher/WCS.

Harlem’s Role Models: Dr. Robert Houck, Executive Director of Friends of the Children NY

By Briehn Trumbauer

To understand how Friends of the Children NY (FOTC NY) operates, you first have to learn the lingo. It’s an early-intervention program in Harlem that intends to break the cycle of generational poverty. At-risk children are observed in the classroom, on the playground, during lunch and at drop-off and pick-up for a six-week period while they’re in kindergarten. The most at-risk kids are selected to take part in FOTC NY.

“We say there’s nothing [children] can do to get kicked out, except move beyond our ability to serve them,” says Executive Director Dr. Robert Houck.

So why kindergarten? Harlem has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation. Children in that type of environment follow school dropout and juvenile delinquency patterns because they don’t see alternatives for their future, Houck explains. “The FOTC model lets us start early enough [to] prevent a lot of the damage and really capitalize on the potential that lies within.”

Once invited to the program, the kids become Achievers, a name that carries affirmative meaning and affects how they view themselves. “This is an opportunity to see lives dramatically change,” says ‘Dr. Bob,’ as the Achievers have affectionately nicknamed him.

Each Achiever is then gender-matched with a Friend. “We wanted to stay away from the name ‘mentor’ because…it’s usually short-term,” Dr. Bob says. A Friend must make at least a three-year commitment so that the children don’t experience another traumatic loss; many have witnessed a parent being taken to jail or a death in the family. The Friends are college-educated, highly trained professionals who become true role models by spending four hours of one-on-one time a week with each of their eight Achievers. They go on enrichment outings to museums and parks, or spend time in the Achiever’s classroom.

Dr. Bob remains quite humble about his role at FOTC NY. “The Friends—they’re the real heroes,” he says. But it was a stroke of fate that led him here. After working with two agencies for neglected and abused children, The Crossnore School and the Grandfather Home for Children—both in North Carolina—Dr. Bob and his wife decided to move to New York City to be closer to their family. “I was looking for an organization in New York at the time that FOTC was looking for somebody to come take over,” he says. “It turned out to be a really good match.”

The most rewarding part of FOTC NY for Dr. Bob is to see the progress of the Achievers. “[It’s] to see them all of a sudden begin to believe in themselves.” One of his favorite success stories is about a boy whose father was incarcerated. After participating in the program, the young man is now his school’s varsity quarterback as a junior, and his dad plays an active role in his life.

Due to his backgrounds in business and clinical psychology, Dr. Bob says one of his strengths is company revitalization. And that’s precisely what he’s done with FOTC NY. When the NY branch first began in 2001, there were 24 Achievers. Since becoming Director in 2007, that number has grown to 119, while still maintaining the intimate relationship-building factor. Dr. Bob has also initiated the alumni portion of the program, which supports the Achievers through college graduation rather than stopping after high school. FOTC NY plans to move to a bigger location by the end of this year, and Dr. Bob hopes to eventually have Friends Places in all five boroughs.

“My vision is this,” he says. “Fifty years from now, there’s going to be a successful individual… sitting with his grandchild telling [him or her] about this Friend who changed the destiny of their family. And it’s not going to affect just that one Achiever, it’s going to affect…generations to come, thousands of New Yorkers.”

To learn more, visit friendsofthechildrenny.org.

Lower Manhattan’s Leading Lady: Julie Menin, Chairperson of NYC’s Community Board 1

By Tiffanie Green

Julie Menin’s career as a civic leader began on September 11, 2001. Before that day, Menin was the small business owner of a vibrant restaurant across from the New York Stock Exchange. Following 9/11, Menin devoted her efforts to revitalizing the crippled area of Lower Manhattan with the creation of the not-for-profit Wall Street Rising. Her enormous efforts to strengthen Lower Manhattan caught the attention of Community Board 1 (CB1) and in 2001 she was appointed for membership. Being on the community board allowed her to weigh in on vital matters affecting CB1’s region—Lower Manhattan below Canal Street.

Today, Julie Menin sits as Chairperson of the Board, having held the position since 2005. “We often end up addressing issues that are certainly not ones that we predicted would happen,” says Menin of the scope of topics CB1 tackles. “The decisions that we make have real implications well beyond the Lower Manhattan community. The eyes of the world are certainly on Manhattan.”

From tackling much publicized issues like the creation of Park51 (known across the country as the “Ground Zero mosque”), to pioneering the movement of the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, to the current battle surrounding protestors at Occupy Wall Street, Community Board 1 has certainly had its share of dealing with national headline topics.

“You have to be extremely proactive and able to move quickly to address issues as soon as they happen,” says Menin.

Nevertheless, not every issue CB1 takes on is divisive. “Frequently I will be at a PTA meeting or meet with a government agency that has an issue regarding service delivery in the neighborhood,” says Menin. “Every single day chairing the community board is different. It’s a real honor.”

Closing in on her final year as Chairperson, Menin has certainly made her mark, championing the creation of community centers, parks, public schools—including the first “green” public school in Manhattan, PS 276 in Battery Park—and affordable housing in Lower Manhattan.

Widely considered a candidate for Borough of Manhattan presidency, Menin is focused on issues like education reform before her term ends. “Right now we have a situation with our public schools. Many are overcrowded,” she says. “We have pushed very hard in Lower Manhattan for the creation of new schools. Education is a right not a privilege. That right should mean that kids do not have to go to schools in classes that are absolutely too large.”

Despite the ongoing changes that she is advocating, Menin is proud of Lower Manhattan’s revitalization. “The success is in the community and their perseverance to rebuild. In the weeks, months and years after 9/11, people said that no one would live downtown again. We rolled up our sleeves and did the hard work it took to rebuild our neighborhood,” she reflects. “Now we are the fastest growing residential neighborhood in the city of New York.”

Ten years after her entrance into community affairs and the remarkable growth that she has championed, Julie Menin credits her role as parent for keeping her in the field. “It’s why I choose to stay in public service,” she notes. “As a parent, what is it we are working for? We are working to make our community and our city the best place for the next generation.”

For more information, visit juliemenin.com. Photo by Marci Beckerman.

Turning Girls Into Leaders: Barbara Murphy-Warrington, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York

By Veronica Torok

Unattainable standards of female beauty, sinking numbers of women in politics and insufficient examples of females in leadership positions have all led to a scarcity of role models for young girls today, says Barbara Murphy-Warrington, recently named CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York.

“From standing out in the classroom to taking advanced classes in math and science and all the way to joining the top ranks in corporate boardrooms or the operating rooms of Silicon Valley, girls and women are backing down,” says Murphy-Warrington.

Five months ago, this energetic leader returned to the Girl Scouts, an organization that shaped her own youth, bringing with her 20-plus years of experience in corporate leadership. Moreover, she brought enthusiasm and passion for transformative change.

The Girl Scouts of Greater New York will celebrate 100 years in 2013. Instead of resting on its laurels, Murphy-Warrington says, the organization is busy ensuring that it will thrive for another 100 years to come by hearing the voices of its members at both the national and local levels.

Empowering girls to lead is especially important in a council like the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, where two-thirds of the 25,000 members come from low-income families. Furthermore, of the 112 councils across the United States, only Murphy-Warrington’s is entirely urban. New York City Girl Scouts unites young women from such a diverse array of backgrounds that Murphy-Warrington likes to call it the “UN of girls.”

“We bring [the girls] together as equals to learn together, work together, [and] transform the world. I think that that’s the power of what we’re doing in Girl Scouts,” says Murphy-Warrington.

In the future, she hopes to partner with other organizations that promote positive images of women, such as the nonprofits of Sharon Bush and Lauren Bush-Lauren, as well as to collaborate more with Girls Scouts donors. Furthermore, Murphy-Warrington would like to eventually create a Girl Scouts community center within the city, a safe place where members could come to exchange ideas.

In the meantime, however, she is committed to interacting with as many individual girls as possible--her favorite part of the job--and expanding the Girl Scouts resources to better serve an increasing demand for more troops in the five boroughs.

“We’ve been very focused over the past 100 years internally and we’ve learned so much, we’ve really grown up,” says Murphy-Warrington. “And now we need to take our perspective, view, expertise, our knowledge outside of Girl Scouts and start to bring together the extraordinary organizations within this city [that] are concerned about youth […] to start making a difference within the city.”

To get involved, visit girlscoutsnyc.org.

A Principal For The Neediest: Jessica Nauiokas, Founder and Principal of Mott Haven Academy Charter School

By Cristina Dimen

Surrounded by chaos and uncertainty in their home lives, children in the welfare system—especially those in foster care—need a stable environment where they feel safe, secure and nurtured outside of the house. Considering these kids spend about eight or nine years of their life in pre-high school classrooms, ideally they need a school where they can experience a steady presence of adults who will encourage them in their emotional, social and academic development.

This is where Mott Haven Academy Charter School (Haven Academy) comes in. Dedicated particularly to the needs of children in the South Bronx, the school marries a stable environment and solid academics with an array of services for the children’s emotional needs. The school succeeds in a way that is a tribute to its dedicated staff; perhaps none more so than Principal and Founder Jessica Nauiokas.

Nauiokas has a daunting list of daily tasks—from meeting with teachers to classroom observations. But she makes it a point to spend time with the kids. “It’s definitely hard work. But, my students make it worth it,” she says.

Nauiokas welcomes students each morning, takes on recess and lunch duty so she can interact with them further, and mingles with families at dismissal time. She helps her pupils celebrate their birthdays by gifting them each a brand new book to keep, which they choose from the selection in her office.

“My time with students is in the form of helping them reflect on the choices they’ve made,” she says. “Noticing their growth in their relationship-building skills, to how they’re able to be truth tellers—that’s where I’m most proud of our work.”

The concept for Haven Academy came out of an idea presented to Nauiokas in 2006, by Bill Baccaglini, Executive Director of The New York Foundling. “The most compelling part was this notion that the school could become the most stable force for children who are experiencing a lot of instability in their home life,” recalls Nauoikas.

“I really walked away from the conversation feeling like that this is the perfect fit for me. For the experience I had been gaining, and for what my passion is as an urban educator in being able to create a special and unique place for students,” she says.

With the support of The Foundling, the city’s largest and oldest welfare agency, Mott Haven Academy Charter School opened its doors to 90 kids in kindergarten and first grade in fall 2008. Currently there are 220 students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Opening one grade at a time, Haven Academy’s goal is to become a K through eighth grade school—wherein graduating eighth graders will possess the solid academic skills needed to vie for competitive high school spots.

According to Nauiokas, statistics note that child welfare-involved kids sometimes change schools five to six times before they’re even in fourth grade. These children have to constantly form new relationships with other students and teachers, and often miss instructional time—resulting in cumulative academic problems that hinder their growth as they progress to the upper grade levels. “We really want to reverse that experience for child welfare-involved children,” Nauiokas insists.

But, as she acknowledges, there’s a lot of work still to be done. “I’m confident that over time we’re going to be able to make a very important impact on the lives of scholars who come to Haven Academy.”

For more information, visit havenacademy.org. Photo by Andrew Schwartz.

Stories On Stage: Benjamin Salka, CEO and Co-Founder of Story Pirates

By Christine Wei

It’s true: kids really do have the best ideas. Lucky for us, the Story Pirates caught on early.

In 2003, Benjamin Salka, now the organization’s CEO, and his friends rallied together to teach kids to believe in the power of their ideas, first by hosting workshops to help students write and revise original stories, then by adapting the students’ words into a school-wide comedy performance that often brings their peers to tears.

“Story Pirates is so powerful because it not only tells kids that they have great ideas, but [it] also gives them the tools to put their ideas to work,” Salka says. What began as a pilot program in a single Harlem school, Story Pirates now serves over 200 schools in addition to touring over 15 states, ranging from one-show visits to year-long residencies.

Story Pirates is all about nurturing children’s inherent imaginations. Salka points out that creativity is a large part of being able to communicate well. “Writing is a part of nearly every discipline in the world,” he argues, though he’s also quick to highlight the importance of their programs in science, math and social studies.

But Story Pirates doesn’t simply wax philosophic—it actually helps kids experience writing’s real-world applications outside of formal test-taking. “When kids understand that writing is connected to their ability to be seen, heard and understood, it has much greater power,” Salka says. “We show them that writing is a way to express your ideas to the world—it’s a way to make people think, laugh and feel.”

Since the beginning, Salka was the perfect man for the job. Hailing from Off-Broadway productions, he was inspired by his time at The DreamYard Project, an arts and education provider servicing Bronx youth. Salka played every role from bookkeeper to janitor, and everything in between, as he set up an inspiring vision and solid infrastructure for the company as the CEO.

“Our unofficial mission became to blow kids’ minds,” he says.

Now, he continues to work 20-hour days, planning creative initiatives and meeting with other big-thinkers in education and entertainment to grow Story Pirates’ impact. “My partners and I fostered a sense that Story Pirates isn’t just a company; it’s a movement,” he adds of one belief he still evangelizes relentlessly: kids have the best ideas. “Because of that, our energy is infectious, and we believe we can help empower today’s young people to be creative and invent the ideas that will define a new generation.”

Speaking of the future, Story Pirates is digitizing their workshops and productions so their programming can be accessible anytime, anywhere, even for those without great arts and education programs in their neighborhoods.

In the end, Story Pirates is achieving every English teacher’s dream: getting kids to write and appreciate words as agents of change. But part of its real secret to success is simply that Story Pirates provides solid entertainment. “The people who become Story Pirates are incredibly dedicated, and the combination of their talent and their dedication is what makes Story Pirates so different.”

To get inspired, visit storypirates.org.

Cookies That Care: Gretchen Witt, Co-Founder of Cookies For Kids’ Cancer

By Meredith Olson

Gretchen Witt was sitting on the steps of her son Liam’s preschool, telling herself one thing over and over: “I have to do something.” Two-and-a-half-year-old Liam had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma—a form of pediatric cancer—earlier that year, and after intensive treatment he had been declared cancer-free. But Gretchen knew there was more to be done.

At the beginning of Liam’s treatment in 2007, she had been shocked to discover that pediatric cancer was the number one disease killer of children. Many parents, just like Gretchen and her husband Larry, are simply unaware of these shocking statistics. Pediatric cancer has been considered a taboo topic and, as a result, has typically received little funding—a fact the Witts knew had to change if Liam and kids like him were going to receive better treatments through research.

What Gretchen had been searching for finally came to her: she would sell 96,000 cookies in a bake sale to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. “It was 8,000 dozen, it seemed perfectly reasonable for me at the time, but I’ll admit it was a big number,” Gretchen remembers. “Yet at the same time, I just kinda thought, ‘Why not?’ After what I’d been through with Liam, anything seemed possible.”

Gretchen and Larry immediately started contacting friends and families of children going through cancer treatment to help spread the word about their new endeavor. With the help of volunteers, all 96,000 cookies were sold in three weeks, generating over $400,000 for pediatric cancer research.

After the bake sale, people kept calling to ask what they could do in their communities to help raise money. The Witts decided to start Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a year-round non-profit foundation dedicated to fundraising and awareness. To date, supporters of the organization have hosted nearly 4,000 events held in communities all over the nation, and have raised four million dollars for the cause.

New York City is one of their primary markets, and a favorite of Gretchen’s. “This is the city of dreams…where anything is possible. This is the city where you’ve got this melting pot of people from all over the world, and it doesn’t matter what religion, race or creed somebody is, we all work together. In my opinion, it is one of the most amazing places. This is Oz to me,” she says.

Larry and Gretchen estimate that they’ve helped to fund more than two dozen pediatric cancer studies through their work, and their support network both online and in Manhattan continues to grow as more parents begin to openly discuss this disease. In 2011, Liam lost his fight with a recurring, aggressive cancer.

“Every reader of this magazine feels that their child is the most important child out there. And you know what? Their child is the most important child,” Gretchen explains with gusto. Then she grows quieter. “What happened to my child is an example of what can happen to any child. Pediatric cancer doesn’t discriminate against anybody.”

For more information about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and ways to contribute, visit cookiesforkidscancer.org. Photo by Heidi Green Photography.