At its annual spring benefit on June 7, Riverside Park Conservancy honored Lori Bassman and Mary Frances Shaughnessy, two members of the board who helped to create and grow the organization into what it is today. The Conservancy’s benefit, titled “Together Again,” was their first in-person annual fundraiser since 2019, and it was a great success.
“We were so pleased to honor Lori and Mary Frances at our Spring Benefit,” said John Herrold, interim president and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy. “The Conservancy and Riverside Park would not be what they are today without their years of commitment and tremendous achievements.”
Lori L. Bassman, M.D. joined the board of Riverside Park Conservancy in 2009 and served as its chair from 2014 to 2019. During her critical years of leadership, Lori developed and executed a vision of expansion and transformation for the Conservancy that led to extraordinary investment and revitalization up and down Riverside Park. Daniel R. Garodnick, former president and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy, presented Bassman with the Robert M. Morgenthau Citizenship Award.
Mary Frances Shaughnessy is a founding trustee of Riverside Park Conservancy, who serves on the board to this day. For more than thirty-five years, Mary Frances has committed herself to the restoration, beautification, and preservation of Riverside Park, including helping to lead the visionary fight to preserve the full stretch of Pier I. Micah Lasher, chair of the Riverside Park Conservancy Board of Trustees, presented Shaughnessy with Riverside Park Conservancy’s Community Service Award.
Taking a look-back in Riverside Park, we have enjoyed the goats, the bees and the composting program. We also enjoyed celebrating The Conservancy’s 35th Anniversary with RE: Growth, a summer-long, outdoor art exhibition last summer (2021); The beginning of the restoration on The Firemen’s Memorial; and the reopening of Cherry Walk. Looking forward to a new and exciting summer season.