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Save the dateSeptember 27, 20233:00 PM - 5:00 PM (EDT) Add to Calendar

Venue Location

Celebration Hall

127-15 Kew Gardens Road
Kew Gardens, New York

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Organizer

Organizer: Queens Chamber of Commerce

Phone: +1 7188988500

Contact Person: Shahriar Hossain

Email: shossain@queenschamber.org

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Learn about funding opportunities, grant writing, securing local government and city council funding, and utilizing private foundations for funding.

Speakers

Patrick M Berry

The Resource Group Inc

Patrick M Berry

The Resource Group Inc

Patrick has held progressively responsible positions in the fund raising profession for more than thirty-five years. Throughout his career Pat has had the opportunity to design, develop and implement a wide range of fund raising campaigns. Throughout the course of his career Pat’s clients and projects have led to more than $2 billion raised. More importantly, since founding The Resource Group, we have had the privilege of serving more than 200 clients and working with thousands of volunteers.

At the onset of his career, Pat held various fundraising positions in major gifts and capital campaigns with the Archdiocese of New York. There he served as Coordinator of the Cardinal’s Committee of the Laity where he was responsible for raising a minimum of $3 million annually. Additionally, Pat served as Director of the Parish Support Program. In this capacity he directed Capital Campaigns, increased Offertory Programs and many other fundraising programs.

Prior to founding The Resource Group, Pat served in various leadership positions at Dowling College where achievements included the creation and development of the Annual Fund, Alumni Relations, and Planned Giving programs. He also played a key role in the identification and

solicitations of major gifts that generated more than $7.5 million in just three years.

Melissa Bonventre

Grant Writer at The Resource group Inc

Melissa Bonventre

Grant Writer at The Resource group Inc

Melissa serves as The Resource Group’s primary grant writer. She is responsible for foundation research and outreach; corporate and foundation solicitations; government requests and grants; event sponsorships; annual solicitations; and the creation of promotional and solicitation materials such as brochures, press releases, and e-blasts. Melissa also assists with grant administration, handling the review and processing of all grant submissions, due diligence, and the preparation of all written materials (summaries, reports, correspondence) for Foundation clients.

Previously, Melissa worked as Editor at several major publishing houses, including Random House and The McGraw-Hill Companies. There she was responsible for working with authors on book proposals, editing manuscripts and promotional materials, presenting projects to the sales team, and coordinating

marketing and publicity efforts.

Melissa earned her BA in English and Classics at Williams College.

Facia Class

Vice President at Lemma Strategies

Facia Class

Vice President at Lemma Strategies

Facia Class has established herself as a trusted and valued voice within New York’s political world. She has a large network of relationships on the ground, and meaningful experience at the city,
state and federal levels of government.
Facia most recently served as the Political Director for Robert Zimmerman in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. Prior to the Zimmerman campaign, Facia served as Chief of Staff to NYC Council Member Lynn Schulman. Born in the Bronx and raised in Queens, New York, Facia started her political career at 12 years old, interning for her local representative, Assembly Member Nettie Mayersohn. Since then, she served as the Director of Constituent Services/Special Projects to the late Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, and Political Director and Director of Community Engagement to Congresswoman Grace Meng. She currently serves on the Queens College Community Advisory Board
and as a District Leader for the 27th Assembly District in Queens, NY.
Facia is the Founder and President of The White Lotus Collective, LTD, a Queens based non-profit organization working to eliminate period poverty. Her outreach is focused on providing access to menstruation products free of charge for those who need it most in our communities. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in conjunction with food pantries, homeless shelters, hospitals and more than 20 nonprofit organizations, Facia distributed over 50,000 free period products to individuals and families in need. Her organization continues to provide free period products on an ongoing basis to organizations all over New York City and consistently host product drives with small businesses and other organizations.

Matthew Thompson

Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

Matthew Thompson

Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

In 1997, I got my first introduction to the stock market through an internship position with Smith Barney in their Pasadena, California office. A short while later, I was offered a full-time position as Client Service Associate and my career in Financial Services was born. While still working for Smith Barney in 1999, I took on the role of liaison between Smith Barney and the California Medical Association. I worked with a group of select Financial Advisors who were the endorsed retirement plan providers for the association’s physicians. After traveling the state for a year, I decided to further my career, and in May of 2000 I became a Financial Advisor at Smith Barney in the Sherman Oaks, California office. It was then that I got interested in Non Profits Organizations as both a volunteer building houses in South Central Los Angeles for Habitat for Humanity and as an advisor working on endowments for several organizations in the Los Angeles area. I relocated to New York in August of 2004 to start a team with a former partner of mine. While the partnership didn’t work out, the motive behind it shaped the vision of the practice today; a group working together to enhance the interplay and synergies within and between corporations, individuals, and philanthropic organizations based on the group’s intellectual capital. This was also when I was first introduced to the American Red Cross on Long Island through a client who was on the board. I have spent the past 14 years serving as a volunteer, board member, and board chair and I currently serve as the co-chairman of the board. In April of 2008, I joined Morgan Stanley and continued to build the three pillars of the practice; Corporate Services, Investor Services, and Philanthropic Services. As the interplay between the three pillars expanded over the years, I developed a robust practice to include Private Corporations, Non-Profit Organizations, and Individual Families. My philanthropic involvement has expended as well, as I now serve on the Board of Directors for the Bayside Business Association, the Board of Directors for Career Day Inc., the Board of Directors for the Nonprofit Collective Foundation, Inc. - Economic Assistance, the Board of Directors for the Pelham Children/Youth Travel Soccer Club, and the Advisory Board for Transitional Services of New York, Inc., as well as work with other charities on an as needed basis.

Scott Thornhill

Director of Public Policy at Alphapointe

Scott Thornhill

Director of Public Policy at Alphapointe

https://www.alphapointe.org

Scott Thornhill is the Senior Manager of Public Policy for Alphapointe in Richmond Hill, Queens. Alphapointe is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower people who are blind through opportunities for employment and personal development.

Scott handles issues related to government relations, successful employment, innovation and more for Alphapointe. Previously he operated his own real estate brokerage which his wife continues to run after Scott felt compelled to join the Alphapointe team to help make the playing field level for people who are blind. Scott himself is blind, losing his vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) after being diagnosed at the age of eight and told at 15 he would be blind by 40.

Today Scott utilizes technology and other rehabilitative skill development in his own career, helping ensure legislation and other factors impacting the lives of people with disabilities offer even more opportunities moving forward

Sponsors and Partners

Community

Queens Chamber's Non-Profit committee presents:

Patrick M Berry

The Resource Group Inc

Melissa Bonventre

Grant Writer at The Resource group Inc

Facia Class

Vice President at Lemma Strategies

Matthew Thompson

Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

Scott Thornhill

Director of Public Policy at Alphapointe

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