During the holiday season, the Ford’s Theatre Society partnered with D.C. non-profit Miriam’s Kitchen for a donation drive that would embody the themes of charity portrayed in the Dicken’s classic “A Christmas Carol,” which was performed at the Ford’s Theatre from November 18 through December 31. Connie Milstein, a local philanthropist and businesswoman, serves as a member of the theatre’s Board of Trustees.

Earlier this month, the Ford’s Theatre Society announced that the donation drive raised $83,007 for Miriam’s Kitchen. The local non-profit has served as a critical resource for the District’s nearly 12,000 homeless individuals for the last 30 years. Through the work of volunteers, the kitchen provides meals, mental health and medical care, legal assistance, substance abuse counseling and case management services in a safe and encouraging environment. On December 8, members of the “Christmas Carol” staff spent the afternoon and evening at Miriam’s Kitchen, cooking and serving dinner.

“I am deeply touched and grateful for our audience’s overwhelming generosity this holiday season,” said Paul R. Tetreault, Director of Ford’s Theatre Society in a press release. “This tremendous outpouring of goodwill will help Miriam’s Kitchen feed and provide critical resources for thousands in need within Washington.”

This is the third year that Ford’s Theatre has partnered with an area non-profit during its performances of “A Christmas Carol.” In 2010, the theatre raised over $77,000 for So Others Might Eat (SOME). It partnered with Bread for the City in 2009 and helped raise money to provide 1,846 meals for D.C. families.

For those wishing to give holiday gifts that are accompanied by a sense of fulfillment, look no further than Connie’s Bakery, which was started six years ago by lawyer and philanthropist Connie Milstein. The bakery, cupcakery and gift store donates 100 percent of its net profits to a charity of the store’s choice, a fact that often catches first-time shoppers off guard.

“It takes a while because people are so skeptical, it’s hard to believe that 100 percent of the profits,” said Loraine Judelman, an employee at Connie’s Bakery. “But once they understand the mission, they embrace it.”

Not only does the bakery give its profits to a community charity, but it also runs an apprenticeship program. Each year, the bakery’s executive pastry chef, Simeon Manber, chooses one local to spend the year working full-time in the bakery and learning skills ranging from baking and pastry preparation to time management, business management and self-confidence.

The source of inspiration for such a generous bakery and business model comes in part from Connie Milstein, who works in New York City’s real estate and property development industry as an attorney and senior business executive. Connie is also a well-known philanthropist; she donates her time to a variety of causes including Blue Star Families, the Humpty Dumpty Institute and Ford’s Theatre, located in Washington, D.C.

For those holiday shoppers who just aren’t sure what to give this season, choose Connie’s Bakery – the delicious gift that keeps on giving long after the sweets have disappeared.

The Humpty Dumpty Institute, for which Connie Milstein serves as Chairman Emeritus, has recently launched an 18-month pilot program that will provide the population of Myanmar (Burma) with Survivors Assistance and Mine Risk Education programs. The HDI has partnered with the Sitagu Association, the largest Buddhist humanitarian organization in Myanmar, for this endeavor, which will be funded by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Myanmar is among few other countries in dealing with the severe landmine problems that continue to plague the country today, a problem that is neither well-known nor well-researched. While it is known that landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the country are concentrated mostly along its border with Thailand, and to a lesser extent on its borders with Laos, China and Bangladesh, the figures that are available indicated that mine accident rates in Myanmar are among the highest in the world.

HDI president, Ralph L. Cwerman, said the program’s primary goal “is to build local capacity among the medical staff of the Sitagu hospital network in order to treat physical and psychological injuries of the Burmese, especially children.” He added that “strenuous efforts would be made to educate as many villagers as possible about the danger of landmines and unexploded bombs and how to avoid being injured.”

To achieve the program’s goals of safety and awareness, the Humpty Dumpty Institute will establish teams of health and education professionals that will regularly visit various hospitals around Burma to train the hospital staff in the fields of prosthetics and psychological trauma. The hospitals will also host a series of mine risk education workshops for local village leaders living in and around areas that are highly contaminated with mines. As a broader goal, the HDI plans to develop partnerships with various local and international mine action NGOs to help deliver prosthetics, medicines and other needed equipment to doctors and hospitals within Burma by utilizing the Sitagu Association and its network.

After being shot at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was moved to William Petersen’s boarding house across the street from the theatre, where he later died. The Petersen House, which is now part of the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site, has most recently undergone a period of extensive renovation and repair work. The building’s rehabilitation included exterior repairs; an interior overhaul; repairs to the historic windows, casings, doors and shutters; and the installation of a new climate management system. The Petersen House will reopen to the public on Friday, Oct. 7, 2011, according to a recent announcement by the National Park Service.

One of the biggest changes to the Petersen House while it was under renovation was the new connection between the House and the adjacent Ford’s Theatre Society Center for Education and Leadership, which will open in February of next year. Visitors will be able to easily travel between the place of Lincoln’s death and the Center’s exhibits on the life, legacy and leadership lessons of the sixteenth president. The addition of an elevator to the Petersen House is also noteworthy, as it will finally allow universal access to the room in which President Lincoln died while still preserving the historic character of the building.

The partnership between the National Park Service and the Ford’s Theatre Society helps bring the historical and cultural experience of the life and death of Abraham Lincoln to nearly one million visitors each year. Ford’s Theatre continues to be one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital. Connie Milstein has served on the Board of Trustee’s since June of this year. She also resides in Washington, D.C.

Blue Star Families, a group to which Connie Milstein is very dedicated and serves as a member of the Board of Directors, was recognized as a “Champion of Change” at an even hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement last Thursday. The administration recognized Blue Star Families based on the organization’s work in the area of suicide prevention. Earlier this summer, Blue Star Families partnered with The Creative Coalition to produce a series of public service announcements aimed at military families and veterans as a response to an opinion piece that appeared in the LA Times titled, “Where is the ‘It Gets Better’ suicide awareness campaign for our military?”, written by Blue Star Families member Alison Buckholtz. The PSAs have aired on network and cable television stations, movie theater screens, radio station and even taxis.

“We are honored to receive this recognition from the White House,” said Mark Smith, executive director of Blue Star Families, Inc., in a statement released by the organization. “The suicide rate among our soldiers and their families is at a record high. We hope this public service campaign will help military families realize they have somewhere to turn for confidential help.”

Champion of Change is part of the Winning the Future initiative introduced by President Obama as a way to recognize ordinary Americans who are contributing enormous efforts to change the world. Each week, the White House Office of Public Engagement selects a different Champion of Change recipient; an individual or group may be selected for their community efforts or helping the U.S. rise to meet the challenges facing our country in the 21st century.

Simeon Manber, executive pastry chef at Connie’s Bakery in Mount Kisco, NY, recently spoke about his admiration for the bakery’s owner, Connie Milstein, and the sense of fulfillment gained by helping others in the local community. Connie’s Bakery is a socially-responsible bakery and gift shop located about an hour north of Manhattan in Mount Kisco. The bakery’s second location, which opened in 2006, is located in the main lobby of the Northern Westchester Hospital. Both stores, which specialize in hand-made cookies, cakes, pies, and tarts, aim to make as much money as possible – just to give it all away. One-hundred percent of the bakeries’ net profits are distributed to six different partner charities each year.

Chef Manber has worked at Connie’s Bakery since the store opened seven years ago. The job was perfect for the Culinary Institute of America graduate, allowing him to combine his love of baking with his passion for social work. Each year, Manber selects an individual to work in the shop as part of a one-year, full-time baking apprenticeship. Over the course of the year, the apprentice will not only learn the finer points of baking and pastry preparation, but will also learn skills like time management, business management and self confidence. Manber works with these employees at the end of their apprenticeships to find jobs at a higher level in the food service industry.

This commitment to philanthropy and service on behalf of Connie’s Bakery comes in part from the bakeries’ owner. Connie Milstein works in New York City’s real estate and property development industry as an attorney and senior business executive. In addition to Connie’s Bakery, Milstein is a well-known philanthropist and patron of education, arts and sciences. She is active on a number of boards including Blue Star Families, the Humpty Dumpty Institute and Medical Missions for Children.

For more information, visit the Connie’s Bakery website or view the bakeries’ menu.

Connie Milstein and the other members of the Blue Star Families Board of Directors recently added several new members and appointed Blue Star Families founder and chairman, Kathy Roth-Douquet, as Chief Executive Officer.

Kathy has written several books on the subject of advocacy on behalf of military families, including AWOL, The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service and How It Hurts the Country and How Free People Move Mountains. She also dedicates her time as a spokesperson and advocate for Blue Star Families and has served as a former Clinton White House and Pentagon appointee.

Laura Dempsey, former Blue Star Families Vice Chairman and Secretary, replaced Kathy as the foundation’s Chairman of the Board. A civil rights attorney, Laura has been writing about military family issues since 2005 and has served as a consultant on military family issues.

The board also voted Kate Howard and Les Brownlee as new board directors. Kate will also serve Blue Star Farms as secretary following Laura’s promotion. Most recently, Kate has served as Senior Adviser to the Afghan Ministry of Finance in Kabul and brings experience in institutional capacity development, donor coordination, strategic planning and needs assessments and evaluations to her new role at to Blue Star Families. Les Brownlee served as the 27^th Under Secretary of the Army and Acting Secretary of the Army between 2003 and 2004. His 18-month reign made him the longest-serving Acting Secretary in the Army’s history.

Connie Milstein was among the women who joined to discuss the current real estate industry and their personal experiences in the business at last week’s panel, “The Women Leading NY’s Real Estate Families.” Covered in The New York Observer’s Real Estate section, she was the center of attention when someone asked her about the challenges that come along with being part of a prominent real estate family.

“Sometimes, you gotta go along to get along,” she said.

It was a diplomatic response for a woman like Connie Milstein, one who’s associated with her fearlessness and go-getter attitude. The other woman who were part of the panel, including Lisa Silverstein, Helena Durst, Faith Hope Consolo and Andrea Olshan, followed suit. The women discussed what it’s like to be a leading lady in real estate today, and on the more light-hearted side—shopping malls and plus-sized fashion. The Observer also noted that the highlight of the night was when each panelist paid tribute to her mother, even bringing Consolo to tears.

The panel was hosted by New York Commercial Real Estate Women’s Network, an organization dedicated to advancing the success of women in commercial real estate.

Hear and see some of the results from the Blue Star Families’ 2010 Military Family Lifestyle Survey results.  Blue Star Families, where Connie Milstein is on the Board, spent extensive time and money collecting these survey results so that they can best serve military families.

The cookies that you buy today just might help someone else to have a hot meal tomorrow.  That’s because Connie Milstein and Connie’s Bakery and General Store donate 100% of their after-tax profits from the store to six charitable non-profits.  They do so with the Foundation of Sweet Success and they select different organizations each year to receive the donations.

This year, Meals-on-Wheels of White Plains is one of the recipients of the Foundation Sweet Success money. They are a non-profit organization that delivers food and companionship to people who might otherwise be alone and hungry all day.

Their services are available for anyone living in the city of White Plains who can’t shop for meals for themselves or who can’t prepare their own meals.  This is regardless of age or income.  They accept referrals from all sorts of locations including doctors, hospitals, social workers, family and more.

Their volunteers deliver two nutritious meals, planned by a professional dietician, a day to homebound individuals.