Shirley Berenstein has been a school principal, a pioneering program designer for children with HIV/AIDS and people with traumatic brain injuries, a historian, a storyteller, and a communications leader during a 50-year career that has indelibly transformed AHRC New York City. Her remarkable impact was celebrated with longtime colleagues and friends on June 1st at AHRC NYC Headquarters.
Patricia A. Murphy, President, said, “The legendary author and poet, Maya Angelou, is credited with saying, ‘You really can’t know where you’re going until you know where you might be,’ As Chief Communications Officer, Shirley has always reminded us of how we started, what we’ve achieved, and why we are here. All of which provide us with the context, direction, and wisdom necessary for aid for us to make informed choices about where we’re going.”
Sharon Fong, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Kathy Broderick, Senior Program Advisor, presented Shirley with a painting, Late Autumn Mountain, by ArTech Collective’s own Bin Feng. Honoring her role as AHRC NYC’s resident historian, Shirley was presented with a gift from her team at the Public Information Department—a professionally bound copy of all the editions of The Chronicle, AHRC NYC’s printed newsletter from 1992 through 2010.
“Through the pages of the Chronicle, Shirley told the story of AHRC NYC. She documented our programs, our challenges, our accomplishments, and most importantly, the people we served. Today, those pages remain part of the story of who we are,” said Angela Chan, Branding Director and Lead Content Designer.
Luis Martinez, Director of the Referral and Information Center, said, “Thank you for encouraging when we felt the blues, for always being there and allowing us to learn, to grow, to take chances and make mistakes. Thank you for your sense of purpose, of duty, for soldiering on, but also for your sense of humor and your thoughtfulness. Thank you for making us better people.”
Shirley thanked guests for recognizing her career and for their partnership in creating a better world for people with disabilities through AHRC NYC.
“There are two main things I thought of when I hired people,” she said. “The most important was a commitment to the mission and history of the organization, because without that passion you might as well work somewhere else. And two, that the history and mission are inextricably tied together.”
She closed by saying, “I’ve had an amazing 50-year career. It takes a village, and you’ve all been a part of that village all these years, and I’ll be forever grateful.”
