The much-awaited Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has many incredible features and assets.  As a driving force behind the project, Connie Milstein and her family helped to pave the way for this comprehensive inpatient and outpatient facility.

The new facility includes amazing specialists who bring expertise in coronary artery disease, electrophysiology and more to the center.  It has 20 new cardiac ICU beds, offers non-surgical alternatives, features a dedicated Diabetes and Heart Education Center and a Preventive Cardiology Program, and includes an environmentally friendly and award-winning design.  The building features recycled materials and is supposed to be 30% more energy efficient than a standard building.  The new facility has already received the 2009 Award of Merit in Health Care from New York Construction Magazine.

Last February Connie Milstein helped make a Blue Star Family event all the more sweet by donating brownies from Connie’s Bakery, another of Mrs. Milstein’s philanthropic endeavors. On February 18, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm BSF organized a “Story Book Fantasy Night” at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. Organized by Mr. Gary Gutshall of BSF, about 100 people were in attendance. Included were about 50 children, 50 parents and another 25 or so in support of the event or to provide information about the various organizations which could be of help to the families at Quantico Marine Corps Base.

The Marketing Manager for MCCS (Marine Corps Community Service), Ms. Cindy Busy, opened the evening with a short description of the planned activities for the night and also acknowledged those that donated to the event,  Connie’s Bakery and  Neiman Marcus, who donated brownies and books, respectively.

The evening consisted of a buffet style dinner and then a book reading rotation where several groups of children listened to a fairy tale story told to them by a volunteer dressed in the costume of their own favorite fairy tale character. After 20 minutes each group rotated to the next “station” to hear another story. Each child received a coupon to be redeemed for a book from MCCS or from those books donated by Neiman Marcus. As they left for the evening each family received a brown container with brownies from Connie’s Bakery.

Suzanne Milstead of BSF explained to the participants that the donations from Connie’s Bakery and Neiman Marcus were their way of saying “thank you” for everything the soldiers and their families have sacrificed for the benefit of everyone in America.

Blue Star Families is an amazing organization which gives others an opportunity to say “Thank you” to those dedicated, self-sacrificing individuals who give everything to make sure the United States and its people continue to remain safe and free.

Organized by military families in order to support those families, BSF is a member-driven group with representatives in over 70 different military bases all over the world. This huge network is supported by an active, core leadership, the National Leadership Team, composed of family members and the spouses of the active duty individuals, including national guardsmen, reservists and veterans serving in all the various military branches all over the United States.

Due to the interest and concern Connie Milstein has shown for military families through the years makes her support of Blue Star Families not surprising. Recently Mrs. Milstein strengthened her dedication to the cause of BSF and became a member of the board and the BSF Director in Washington, D.C. BSF is an organization uniquely suited to Connie Milstein’s many interests, especially her concern for the humanitarian side of international affairs and military actions.