New York, NY – Bailey House presented its annual Gala & Auction, one of the hottest parties on the spring benefit circuit, at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers on Thursday, March 10, 2016. The gala honored the heroism of individuals and organizations that help further the Bailey House mission of transforming the lives of people with or at risk of HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses through housing, health services and community.
Honorees included: Tom Postilio & Mickey Conlon of Douglas Elliman Real Estate for their exceptional support of Bailey House and their work amplifying the organization’s mission; The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, a longtime dedicated supporter of Bailey House and many other organizations addressing HIV/AIDS; Joy A. Tomchin, a social justice activist and philanthropist in the LGBT, HIV/AIDS, and women’s and children’s rights movements; and Daniella Carter, a formerly homeless young advocate, for her work raising awareness about LGBT youth homelessness.
The Bailey House Auction and Gala was hosted by Raphael Mirand and Gus Rosendale, Emmy Award-winning members of the NBC 4 New York team.
News Anchor Gus Rosendale with Cognac.
The storied Auction followed the gala and this year introduced a new feature – the Design for Living Designer Auction. Design for Living offers an unparalleled opportunity to bid on consultations provided by 20 of New York’s most sought-after interior designers. Other featured Auction items included Robert Mapplethorpe and Herb Ritts photographs; tickets to Hamilton and Shuffle Along with a backstage meet-and-greet with Brian Stokes Mitchell; a luxurious getaway to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam with airfare provided by Air France; experiential Los Angeles vacation with a stay at The Standard and Access Hollywood set visit plus meet and greet; outstanding works of established and contemporary artists, including Bruce Sargeant, Peter Max, and Brian Kenny; and a unique and robust selection of home furnishings and décor. Bailey House has raised over $15M since its inaugural event in 1988. All proceeds benefit Bailey House programs that help transform the lives of low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses.
During the event I talked with Honoree Daniella Carter.
Twenty year old Daniella Carter was raised in foster care. At the age of fourteen she came out as transgender and was disassociated by her conservative Christian parents. For the next several years, she lived in the New York City subways but still attended high school every day.
After finishing high school, she established a global advocacy group, Gender Global, made a cameo appearance in a Laverne Cox-produced documentary and has recently worked with Start From Here, an organization fighting youth homelessness. She has spoken at awareness-raising events around the world including the White House.
Cognac: Welcome back darlings, I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here with one of the honorees right here at the Bailey House Auction and Gala, Daniella Carter. Am I right about that?
Daniella: Yes, you are correct.
Tell my audience what this award means to you being honored here tonight at the Bailey House.
Daniella: So I was a client of Baileys–
…Am I right about this, you were homeless for a very long period of time.
Daniella: Yes and so I experienced homelessness from the age of fourteen to eighteen while navigating through high school. I tried to reach out and identify mentors and I identified with Janet Moch, the author of “Redefining Realness,” and she pretty much connected me with Laverne and I shared my physical and sexual abuse.
You really have experienced everything, haven’t you?
Daniella: I wouldn’t say everything. I am sure there are people out there who have experienced more than I have but I would say, I definitely would say I did not have the ideal narrative. I didn’t have the typical New York City kid upbringing, but I think, when we look at our own inner sexual lens, me being a transgender woman of color it was kind of bound to happen. I am very grateful and humble to overcome that adversary–being homeless.
You are still alive because people very much like yourself they don’t live. Things happen.
Daniella: Yeah, there is 2.5 million homeless LGBT youth living in this country. We know that 19% of trans people are living in households that are making less than $10,000 a year. We get a lot of oppression, but for me being alive is a revolutionary act for so many youth who have been silenced, and so I continue to do the work because it is not about me it is about them redefining a narrative that for so long has been stigmatized by media and society.
Daniella Carter at the Bailey House Gala.
I also had the chance to chat with Honorees Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon of Douglas Elleman Real Estate, HGTV’s “Selling NY,” who received the Jason Sheftell Real Estate Award.
Cognac: Welcome back darlings, I am Cognac Wellerlane and I am here with the Honorees and they just accepted their award right here at the Bailey House Auction and Gala. Introduce yourselves to the camera darlings.
Mickey: My name is Mickey Conlon
Tom: And I am Tom Postilio
Now what this award mean to you? Obviously it means a tremendous thing but tell my audience deeply what it means to you.
Mickey: Sure, the Jason Sheftell Real Estate Award was named for Jason Sheftell, who was a prominent real estate reporter for the Dailey News,and he was a giant in the industry and a great friend of ours and a champion not only of the real estate industry but also of Bailey House. To receive this award named in his honor means a great deal to us because it keeps the spirit of generosity–that was what Jason was really all about–it keeps it alive.
And I am sure you feel the same.
Tom: I do of course. We were fortunate to know Jason personally for so many years, and then as Mickey was saying he respected real estate brokers because he came from a family where his mom was a real estate broker and he knew that It was not the easiest job in the world.
Tom Postillio and Mickey Conlon with Cognac.
Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon stand out even among the exclusive coterie of New York’s “super-brokers.” Responsible for more than $1.5 billion in residential sales, Tom & Mickey are named among the Top 1,000 Real Estate Professionals in the United States by The Wall Street Journal. Their innovative marketing techniques have repeatedly shattered price records not only in several of Manhattan’s most desirable buildings, but also for entire neighborhoods, as highlighted in a New York Times feature story.
As stars of Selling New York, HGTV’s smash-hit reality series broadcast to 99-million American homes and 65 countries, Tom & Mickey are internationally renowned for their command of New York City’s luxury real estate market. They have been profiled by a variety of publications, from the New York Times to the Hollywood Reporter, as well as major television news outlets, including CBS, NBC, CNBC, Fox, Bloomberg, ABC’s Good Morning America, and Inside Edition.
For 33 years, Bailey House has worked to transform the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses through comprehensive housing, care coordination, and wraparound support services. Their efforts are aligned with the campaign to end AIDS in New York State by 2020.
For more information please visit BaileyHouse.org.
