New York, NY New York City’s largest professional organization for women in commercial real estate, CREW New York, hosted a festive holiday luncheon on December 1. CREW members and fellow real estate professionals came together to celebrate CREW New York’s inaugural year along with those who have made it an overwhelming success. “This year was an incredible year for CREW New York. It takes a village of extraordinary people to have a year like we have had. I am happy to have CREW as my village,” said Christine Chipurnoi, co-president of CREW New York and a senior vice president at Wells Fargo Insurance Services USA. “This first year has been not only been a great success, but a year of inclusion and collaboration as two great organizations folded into one. Two histories, two different cultures, two sets of programming, two ideologies of ways to give came together with one unified mission of helping and supporting women in their success in commercial real estate. This could not have been accomplished without the hard work of our many committees.” “We are so proud of our many committees this year. Thanks to their hard work we’ve increased membership by nearly 30% this year, raised an amazing $150,000-plus in sponsorships and had a year rich with program choices and unprecedented attendance levels. We also launched a Young Leaders Group, a Legacy Leaders Group and a CREW Connections group for members-only coffees, cocktails and dine-arounds,” said Jane Lyons, co-president of CREW New York and a managing partner at Rhodes Associates. “This year through our nonprofit Charitable Fund, we provided scholarships for aspiring young real estate professionals and donated time and resources to Operation Backpack, Bottomless Closet and Bella Abzug Leadership Institute. We are thrilled today to support Win with a $50,000 contribution in addition to collecting more than 550 gifts for women and children in need.” Former Speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn accepted the $50,000 donation on behalf of Win, a nonprofit that supports New York City’s homeless women and children by providing safe housing, critical services and ground-breaking programs. Quinn was named president and CEO of WIN on November 2, 2015, to help with our city’s growing homeless population. “Every morning, over 4,700 homeless New Yorkers including 2,700 children wake up in a Win shelter, a safe place for moms to rebuild their lives and for children to learn and grow,” said Quinn. “We are grateful to CREW New York for this generous contribution that will make a significant difference in the lives of New York City’s women and children that call Win home, and help bring us one step closer to breaking the cycle of homelessness for more families once and for all.” At the event, CREW New York’s co-presidents gave special recognition to three committee members who have gone above and beyond for the organization over the past year. Award recipients included: Dina Silberstein of Brookfield Office Properties and Deena Baikowitz of Fireball Network for their work in launching CREW’s Young Leaders Group, as well as Kenne Shepherd of Kenne Shepherd Interior Design Architecture PLLC for serving as CREW Champion to facilitate more than 20 CREW Connections events for members this year. Next year, Theresa Garelli of New York Land Services will serve as the 2016 president of CREW New York. CREW New York will host the 2016 National CREW Network Convention, which is expected to draw more than 2,000 real estate professionals, and will continue to grow its programs and services with the launch a mentoring program to connect experienced and younger CREW members and much more.  For more information about CREW New York events and membership opportunities, visit www.crewny.org.