Honorees
Peter J. Abbate, Jr., a lifelong resident of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, has been elected by the people of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst and Borough Park to represent them in the New York State Assembly since 1986. Born on March 22, 1949, Mr. Abbate attended local schools, beginning at Regina Pacis Grammar School and on to Bishop Ford High School.
He entered St. John’s University in 1967 where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. While at St. John’s, Mr. Abbate became involved in civic and political activities. In 1973, he joined the staff of then Assemblyman Stephen J. Solarz as a Legislative Assistant.
From 1974 through 1985, he moved to national politics serving as the District Representative for Congressman Stephen J. Solarz. Since his election in 1986, Mr. Abbate has served as a full-time Legislator. In Albany, Mr. Abbate has grown to become an influential member of the Assembly.
He is currently the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees, a position he was elevated to in 2002 after serving as Chairman of the Committee on Real Property Taxation and the Committee on Cities. Additionally, he is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Safety in the Workplace, a member of the Assembly Workers’ Compensation Task Force and a member of the Distressed Cities Task Force. He is treasurer of the New York Conference of Italian American State Legislators. His standing committee assignments are Aging, Banks, Consumer Affairs and Protection and Labor.
As a legislator, Mr. Abbate has sponsored numerous bills that have been signed into law. These laws cover a wide range of issues from consumer affairs to civil service issues to real property tax reforms. Mr. Abbate has protected consumers with the passage of legislation that puts an end to unscrupulous prize award schemes by providing for mandatory disclosure, allowing consumers an informed choice whether to claim a prize.
He has safeguarded our children with legislation requiring that school bus lights be illuminated while students are being transported. He has provided protection for civil service employees by allowing them union representation during investigatory reviews and he has formally recognized our military past by making the National POW/MIA Recognition Day a date each year the flag shall be displayed. As Chairman of the Real Property Tax Committee, he passed legislation clarifying the state’s real property tax laws, providing for mandate relief, reforming the Industrial and Commercial Incentive Program (ICIP) to reflect changes in New York City’s economic climate and allowing for a real property tax exemption for improvements made to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. While in his first year as Chairman of the Governmental Employees Committee he had to contend with the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy.
He passed legislation to help maintain veteran police and firefighters within the City of New York and sponsored legislation to establish a presumptive accidental disability retirement related to exposure to elements in connection with the World Trade Center tragedy for public employees who rendered rescue services in the wake of the attack. Additionally, in light of the State’s economic downturn he sponsored and passed into law an Early Retirement Incentive to stave off public sector layoffs on the state and local level. For the first time the incentive offered two components-the traditional targeted incentive and a new 25 years of service age 55 incentive.
In addition to his legislative duties, Mr. Abbate has been active in community groups such as Heartshare of Brooklyn and Queens; the Civitan Club of Brooklyn, the Boy Scouts of America, the Kiwanis Club of 18th Avenue, the Statewide Homeowners and Tenants Association, and the Guild for Exceptional Children. Mr. Abbate has received numerous awards for his service to the state, city and community.
He was named one of our state’s Outstanding Legislators in 1989 by the New York State Association of Counties and was sworn in as an Honorary Fire Chief by the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association. Since Brooklyn’s 49th Assembly District is comprised of a large number of people of Italian, Jewish, Chinese, and Ukrainian heritage, Mr. Abbate has made trips to both Italy, Israel, China, Taiwan, and Ukraine to gain a greater understanding of his own heritage as well as that of the people he represents. He was honored in Sicily and met with political and educational leaders in Agrigento. On his trip to Israel, as a member of the Jewish Community Relations Council mission, Mr. Abbate visited the Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center. On his trips to China and Taiwan he met with many political, civic, and business leaders. His outstanding work in the community has brought him honors from the Council of Jewish Organizations and the Coalition of Italian American Associations. He was honored as Man of the Year by the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn and the Council of Neighborhood Organizations.
What an honor it is to be acknowledged by the Norwegian Christian Home and Health Center and celebrate here with you. I grew up in a loving Brooklyn home and my parents where hard working people. My father started as a dental technician and became a dentist where he worked for over 20 years. My mom worked in the public school system.
Every night, she would come home and made sure we had a home cooked meal. Not only for us but for anyone who came to our door. It was my parent’s dedication and kindness that inspired me to be kind-hearted and give whatever I could to others who were in need. I learned at an early age the value of being compassionate and the importance of sharing with others.
At a very young age I had a love for animals and the ballet. I grew up with Bambi our family dog, who I loved very much and was lucky to have for twenty-one years. I also acquired a love for horses. Every weekend my Uncle Steve took me to Aqueduct racetrack with him. I watched the horses as they went onto the track, and I thought how beautiful and majestic they were. I fell in love with them so much, I bought one. Her name is Amber Dancer and no matter what place she comes in she is a winner to me!
I would like to share a story with you. When I was five years old, I went to camp for the first time and noticed another little girl that no one would speak to. I went over and asked her what was wrong? She didn't answer. One day, we had to choose a buddy, no one chose her, so I picked her as my buddy, and we shared a locker. As she handed me her bag to put in the locker, I noticed she had no lunch only a bathing suit. That day, I shared my lunch with her and learned she was deaf. I didn’t know how to communicate with her, but I was determined to learn. When I got home, I told my mom about her and from that day forward Mom packed 2 lunches, snacks and fruit for us to eat. Eventually, I was able to learn her name, it was Michelle. I also noticed Michelle had a hole in her shoe. When I got home, I went through my shoe closet and yes even at a young age I had lots of shoes. I guess it’s a woman thing! I found a brand-new pair of sneakers with sparkles and packed them in my bag. After we had gone swimming and changed back into our clothes, I surprised her with them. Her face lit up. She communicated to me the best she could and expressed how happy and thankful she was. I was so happy to have seen her expression and her smile. This was the best feeling in the world. By the way, you are probably wondering how we got along, well I was determined enough to learn enough sign language to communicate with Michelle.
Today, I own and manage a business with the love of my life, James. I continue to strive and advance in the business world. Most importantly, I learned to “give back”. There is no greater reward and feeling that I get when I see the smiles on the faces of children and people that my charitable effects bring. Whenever possible you can also count on me to donate my time and goods to help a worthy cause.
Dawn is the owner of Romeo Meats, a retail and wholesale meat business with a rich history of service to the community. Her clients include some of NYC’s best restaurants, institutions and catalogue companies. She has built a long standing relationship with the Home providing quality meats for our residents to enjoy for over 10 years.
Louis Iacobucci is a lifelong resident of Dyker Heights in Brooklyn. Louis was born Nov 30th, 1973. He attended St. Bernadette grammar school and attended Xaverian High School.
Louis graduated Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance in 1995. After graduation, he decided to work with his dad and eventually take over the family landscaping business.
Landscaping by Amorosi has been in business for over 45 years. They service residential and commercial clients in all five boroughs. Louis has been married for 25 years to his wife Daniela and have 3 wonderful children, Michael, GianFranco, and Sabrina. He enjoys playing golf and helping various organizations to raise money for their cause and anything else that they might need help doing. Landscaping by Amorosi has been a community partner with the Home for over 24 years. He and his staff have been committed to keeping the Home looking pristine and idyllic for our residents and staff to enjoy.