Central to Spring

The fireworks display in Central Park was enjoyed by nearly 1,500 guests from their hosts' windows at "Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park" to benefit the Central Park Conservancy.

To show their love of Central Park and welcome spring to their beloved backyard, more than 70 Park neighbors hosted cocktail parties in their fabulous homes as part of an April event called Central to Spring, encouraging their friends and neighbors to support the Central Park Conservancy's mission of restoration, maintenance, and enhancement of Central Park.

At 7:45 p.m., a fireworks display from Cherry Hill (mid-Park at 72nd Street) was enjoyed by nearly 1,500 party guests from their hosts' windows.

Central Park is a backyard for all New Yorkers – and especially for the people whose homes are on its perimeter. With views of the Park's rolling meadows, water bodies and trees through living room windows, Central Park's neighbors are just steps from one of the most extraordinary urban parks in the world.

Taking in the fireworks display at the Carson residence

Taking in the fireworks display at the Schafer residence

On the terrace of the Scurry residence

If the Park is New Yorkers' shared backyard, the Conservancy is the organization that guarantees it's the backyard New Yorkers deserve, all year long. Yet only 15 percent of the people who live within a five-minute walk of Central Park actively support the Conservancy's work.

After the first-ever Central to Spring, that number is bound to change as Park residents become more aware of the Conservancy's crucial role in their everyday lives.

Here are just some of the gracious hosts and their guests on a night that raised $160,000 for the conservancy:

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Aijala residence ...

Justin Gibbons and Johannes Worsoe

Suzie Aijala and Lexi Diamond

Lucinda Ross, Ryan Ross, Ainar Aijala, and Suzie Aijala

Sally Cummins and Robert Cummins

Suzie Aijala, Lucinda Ross, and Ryan Ross

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Carson residence ...

Bill Fried and Wolter Korijn

Jim Leary and Anne Shearman Betts

Joycelyn Engle, Lauren Lawrence, and Julianne Michelle

Myrna Small

Stephan Connery and Tania Connery

Pam Goldie-Morrison, Duncan Goldie-Morrison, Anne Louvel, and Alain Louvel

Sam Gordon, Judy Carson, and Russ Carson

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Schafer residence ...

Amanda Brainard, Ursula Striker, and Charles Brainard

Annette Rickel, Alexis Mersentes, and Eleanora Kennedy

Bonnie Strauss and Dr. Roger Gould

Didi Schafer, Oscar Schafer, and Daisy Soros

Grace Leo and Lois Massen

Ursula Striker and Didi Schafer

James Green Didi Schafer, and Freddie Sayers

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Scurry residence ...

Christina Roe, Allison Ross, David Ross, and Kevin Roe

Erica Juneja, Betsy Schiff, Robert Juneja, and Pam Scurry

Richard Peterson, Pamela Scurry, Howard Stein, Jessica Palmer, and Bill Waller

Richard Scully and Pam Scully

Virgilia Klein and Erica Juneja

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Sorensen and Cochran residences:

Diana Vagelos, Roy Vagelos, and Gillian Sorensen

Natalia Nastaskin, Doug Blonsky, and Gillian Sorensen

Gary Felsher and Michele Felsher

Jeff Rosen and Maryam Arjonmand

Joan Jakobson, Kitty Berry, and Liz Peek

Nader Ahari, Kristin Olney, and Ali Granmayeh

Nancy Paduano, Aditi Malhotra, Piyali Kothari, and Judith Paduano

Susan Motamedy, Nader Motamedy, Suzanne Cochran, and Bob Cochran

Dan Paduano and Nader Motamedy

Suzanne Cochran, Lauren Cochran, and Judi Churchill

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at the Tarr residence:

Jennifer Bakker and Anna Schecter

Patsy Tarr and Roy Furman

Chris Coyne, Alexandra Dean, and David Toby

Diane Guenther, Pipa Dichter, and Mary Wallach

Jeff Tarr, Patsy Tarr, and Andrew Tobias

Stephanie Young, Lou Rosenfeld, Patti Cohen, and Harvey Cohen

Central to Spring: Cocktails on the Park at Steve Bensinger and Carol Staab's residence where John Paulson was their esteemed guest.

Steve Bensinger, Carol Staab, and John Paulson

Neil Hochberg, Carol Staab, and Phil Stern

Chris Nolan (from the Conservancy)

Phil Stern, Kimberly Tanico, Neil Hochberg, and Paul Tanico

Greg McCarthy, Sheila Mulrennan, Carol Staab, Steve Bensinger, and Neil Hochberg.

Not even a few April showers could dampen the spirits of the crowd that gathered last Thursday evening at Scully and Scully to celebrate the blooming of Park Avenue tulips. Each spring Michael Scully, President of Scully and Scully, hosts a reception at his chic Park Avenue shop to coincide with this eagerly anticipated spring ritual. The tulips, along with all of the planting and maintenance that takes place on the Park Avenue malls, is made possible by the annual contributions from the community to The Fund for Park Avenue.

Barbara McLaughlin, Sadie Sink, Michael Scully, and Peter Van de Wetering

Michael Scully and Fund for Park Avenue President, Barbara McLaughlin, greeted guests as they arrived. Music from Alex Donner Orchestras filled the rooms, home-made hors d'oeuvres were passed by members of the Scully and Scully team, bowls of Eleni's red tulip cookies were there for the taking and real red tulips were in vases throughout the store. Table settings, combining in unique ways, the wide variety of top-of-the-line luxury gifts and home furnishings available at Scully and Scully were inspired by JB Glass of Glass Menands Swimwear; KarenKlopp, founder of What2WhereWhere.com; Paola Quadretti, the luxury womenands apparel designer; Tina Sloan, author of Changing Shoes and Clay Tompkins ofTompkinsMenswear.

The highlight of the evening was a short performance by ten year-old, Sadie Sink, one of the members of the cast of the hit Broadway musical, Annie. As Barbara McLaughlin, explained, "Our red tulips caught the eye of the producers of Annie and the cast is now proudly supporting The Fund and our work. We're thrilled to have Sadie bring a little Broadway to Park Avenue!"

Sadie Sink singing for the guests

Among the 200 guests present for this special treat were: Elaine Arace, Pat and Stephen Attoe, Jennifer and John Argenti, Charles Bergman, Geoffrey Bradfield, Evie Brown, Friederike Biggs, Veve and Peter Brown, Mario Buatta, Sharon Bush, Frances and Bill Bruder, Dayton Carr, Blaine and Robert Caravaggi, Gale and Kendall Chen, Cece Cord, Hilary Dick, Kate and Alex Donner, Diane Dunne, Polly Espy, Jamie Figg, Andrea Fahnestock and George Hambrecht, Maria and Ken Fischel, Anne Ford, Deborah Foord, Mark Gilbertson, Eugenie Niven Goodman, Amy Hoadley, Council Member Dan Garodnick, Martha and John Glass, Eleni and Randall Gianopulos, Tom Gibb, Nina Griscom, Alexandra and Eric Hoyle, Eileen and Robert Judell, Konrad Keesee, Shirley King, Michèle Gerber Klein, Anki Leeds, Jacques Leviant, Nicole and Derek Limbocker, Caroline and Jose Los Arcos, Jack Lynch, Hildegard Mahoney, Annabelle and Alberto Mariaca, Mary Matthews, Martha McLanahan, Kevin McLaughlin, Caroline and Zubin Mehta, Seton Melvin, Robin and Norman Nelson, Eliza Nordeman, Maggie Norris, Bambi Putnam, Carol Prisant, Lindsay Pryor, Norman Rau, Susan and George Relyea, Missie Rennie, Dr. Annette Rickel, Sara and Axel Schupf, Pam and AJ Schwegel, Lisa Selby, Lisa and Bob Semple, Jeanne and Alexander Sloane, Stephanie Stokes, Barbara Tober, Vebjørn Sand, Dee Dee and Robert Scarborough, Ron Wendt, Peter van de Wetering, Michel Witmer and Mikel Witte.

Eleni's red tulip cookies

The Fund for Park Avenue relies on contributions from the community to plant, light and maintain the trees and flowers on the Park Avenue Malls from 54th to 86th Streets. Each year over 60,000 tulips bloom along the Park Avenue malls. This year's variety is Darwin hybrid Oxford. For more information or to make a contribution online, visit www.fundforparkavenue.org

Karen Klopp and Cece Cord

Joyce Cowin

Patricia and Stephen Attoe

Anne Ford, Missie Rennie, and Tina Sloan

Stephanie Stokes

Maria and Ken Fischel

Dan Garodnick, Deborah Foord, and Jo-Ann Polise

Shirley King

Eileen and Robert Judell

Veve Wheeler, Barbara McLaughlin, Susie Branch, and Ken Bijur

Eugenie Niven

Frances and Bill Bruder

Mario Buatta, Caroline Mehta, and Kathleen Lamborn

Dr Annette Rickel

Mikel Witte and JB Glass

Derek and Nicole Limbocker with Tina Sloan

Anki Leeds, Jamie Figg, and Anne Ford

Sharon Bush and Jamie Figg

Kathy Forgan and Konrad Keesee

Caroline and Jose Los Arcos

Eleni and Randall Gianopoulos

Tom Gibb and Robert Lindgren

Michael Scully, Andrea Fahnestock, and George Hambrecht

JB Glass, Martha Glass, and John Glass

Martha Glass, Nina Griscom, and Mark Gilbertson

Geoffrey Bradfield, Lisa Selby, and Vebjørn Sand

Evelyn Tompkins, Clay Tompkins, and Karen Tompkins

Maggie Norris

Charles Bergman, Stuart Levy, and Kerrie Buitrago

Karen, Clay, and Susan Tompkins

Kevin McLaughlin, Stephen Attoe, Robert Caravaggi, and Jay Jolly

Seton Melvin and Barbara McLaughlin

Alex Parsons and Jack Lynch

Kate and Alex Donner

Chairman of the Partnership with Children Board of Directors Patricia Soussloff, Executive Director Margaret Crotty, along with co-chairs Frederick Anderson and Bill Tucker welcomed over 400 guests to 583 Park Avenue on Tuesday, April 16th for Partnership with Children's Annual Gala. The benefit, emceed by Program alumnus, Jose Mendez, honored Bank of America Merrill Lynch Head of Global Wealth and Retirement Solutions, Andrew Sieg, Robin Hood, author and fashion journalist Constance C. R. White, and Chief Executive Officer for United Healthcare National Accounts Elizabeth Winsor.

The evening raised $750,000 for the Partnership with Children programs that their teams of Masters-level social workers bring in to 37 of New York City's most underserved public schools across all five boroughs.

Supporters including Ken andLinda Mortenson, Keith Banks, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Sunny Bates, Robin Koval, Thong Nguyen, and Stefan Zellmer took in a room filled with gorgeous tablescapes by some of the country's leading interior designers including Roderick Shade, DeBare Saunders, Ronald Mayne, Michael Tavano, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Michael Devine, Thomas Burak, Paula Caravelli, and Edward Lobrano.

For 105 years, Partnership with Children has worked with children growing up in NYC's poorest communities, helping them succeed academically, emotionally and socially. Their programs, benefitting over 15,000 students this year, improve attendance, graduation rates, school safety, and academic achievement. The organization is a proud partner with the New York Department of Education, Robin Hood, and the United Way. For more information on Partnership with Children, visit www.partnershipwithchildren.org.