Karen Tadross was born and raised a stone’s throw from Bay Ridge in Dyker Heights and was transported to her new hamlet when she married her husband Tony well over 30 years ago. She raised her two daughters, Pamela and Victoria and they turned out pretty well! As the girls grew, so did her penchant for volunteering. Swim coach? Sure! PTA Vice president? Sure! Community Council? Sure! HS Theater director and producer? Sure! In 2012, Superstorm Sandy came barreling through New York and miraculously, Bay Ridge was barely affected. As she was sitting at her kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee, her phone rang and she heard 6 words that would bring another opportunity to say “SURE”!

Those words were “Hey Boo…. we need a kitchen”! And she found one! That kitchen at her church housed a relief kitchen for those who lost everything in Sandy and served up 25K meals in 28 days. Tethered to the kitchen for 6 weeks with many volunteers who stepped up and with the enormous support of local businesses, the bones of Bay Ridge Cares were formed and she hasn’t looked back since. Karen loves to bike the neighborhood (responsibly), still produces community theater in her spare time and treasures all the people she has met through volunteerism! Plus, she can come up with a showtune to fit any situation or occasion!

Toni Franco was born and raised in Bensonhurst. She is single mom to 3 wonderful kids. She spent many years of her life volunteering in her kids’ schools and local theatre groups. Joining Bay Ridge Cares has been the first volunteering “job” that feeds her soul. It’s truly a blessing. She gets to volunteer and help make our neighbors lives a little easier. What can be better than that!? Toni spends her spare time walking around and enjoying the views of our beautiful borough.

Dianne Gounardes is a proud member of the Bay Ridge Cares board. Dianne was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and moved to New York back in 1965. She and her family settled in Bay Ridge and have called it home ever since. Dianne and her husband, Steve, raised their three children, Andrew, Patricia, and Gregory, right here in Bay Ridge. After years of volunteering on behalf of PTAs, youth and church organizations, and as her children were now adults, it was time to give back to the community that did so much to support her family. Actually, Dianne’s son, Andrew, was a founding member of Bay Ridge Cares right after Super Storm Sandy. When he had to step down from the BRC board because of his election to the New York State Senate, it was time for Dianne to take his place and contribute what she can for he community and neighborhood she loves so much. In addition to her involvement with Bay Ridge Cares, Dianne is the Early Childhood Director for District 20 and supervises the largest Pre-K Center program in the New York City Department of Education. What brings her most joy is spending time with her family and especially her two grandsons.

Jay Brown was born in Victory Memorial Hospital in Bay Ridge and raised in nearby Bensonhurst, where he resides today with his wife, Jackie, and sons, Jake and Luke. He is an active runner and eight-time marathoner who has competed as a local competitive road racer. When not running through the streets of Southern Brooklyn, he can often be found on the run, chasing after his two young boys. Jay is involved in his sons’ school as an elected member of their School Leadership Team and by volunteering whenever the PTA Co-President (his wife) puts out the call for volunteers. Jay has been an Engineer/Project Manager for over twenty years. He writes a weekly column that appears in the Home Reporter and Spectator newspapers and is a member of Community Board 11 and the Bay Ridge Democrats Executive Committee. Jay has been volunteering with local community non-profits for years and organizing around community issues. After Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012 and the NYC Marathon was canceled, Jay organized a fundraiser that raised money for the Borough President’s Relief Fund, where he and other local marathoners ran their own “marathon” to an affected, seaside community with supplies on their backs that had been collected from a drive by a Bay Ridge business. Jay says he has learned the value of perseverance by being a lifelong (long-suffering) Mets fan.

Vincent Gentile, known as “Vinnie-G”to his friends, is a lifelong Bay Ridgeite who grew up on 74th Street and attended local public schools through high school.  Close friends and acquaintances know that Vinnie is a twin to his sister Diane. Yet he is two minutes older and likes to remind his sister of his older brother status! During school years Vinnie developed a real interest in government and politics and worked on his first campaign in 1982.  Bitten by the political bug, “Vinnie-G” first ran for office in 1994 after becoming an attorney and won his first seat in the State Senate in the blockbuster election of 1996.  He would stay in elected office for the next 20 years, first in the NYS Senate and then serving in the NYC Council. During that time Vinnie established a first rate constituent-services operation which helped neighbors all through his district and authored laws like repealing the sales tax on clothing, increasing seniors benefits, preserving local zoning, and abolishing the use of parking meters citywide on Sundays. Today after hitting term limit ceilings on his elected service, Vinnie still serves the public by creating and expanding pro bono legal services for New Yorkers who contend summonses they receive from various NYC agencies. His work to date has saved New Yorkers hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and penalties. Vinnie is a car enthusiast circa 1950s through 1970s vehicles and one day hopes to start a collection of his own.

Devon Morales has called Bay Ridge home for 15 years now, where she raises her two teenage children, and is active in social justice work and advocating for the rights of ALL human beings. She is the co-founder of Brooklyn Immigrant Community Support, a mutual aid group started at the height of Covid-19 to provide services and groceries to tens of thousands of our most vulnerable neighbors.

Jeff Samaha - NBC Universal stage manager/director for 56 years and counting. In fact they tell me I put the cornerstone in the original RCA building back in the 20’a...well maybe the 30’s. I saw black and white tv turn to color back in 1949 when the peacock changed his/her feathers to a rainbow. Do you remember thereafter when the announcer would say, “The following program is brought to you in living color?” In the meantime during those 56 years of making a living at NBC, I started a choral group in 1968 which has lived on for 50 years and eventually incorporated a theater company in most recent years.  As executive producer, director and conductor for most of the productions, I helped bring  arts and culture to my community, but not without the help of my dearest friends and colleagues. As I always say, “I can’t do this alone.”  That’s for sure. My next adventure and possibly the most rewarding is being an original founder of an organization that has helped many since hurricane Sandy. I’m so proud to be of some help to those in need as a member of the Board of Directors of Bay Ridge Cares.

Mary Quinones is a well-known Bay Ridge resident and has been active in many local organizations. She currently sits on the board of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and has been an advocate for the Guild for Exceptional Children and other organizations that help advance causes dear to her heart.

Kathy Valentine is a Native Brooklynite. While not born in Bay Ridge, she has lived and worked and played here for over 30 years. When not making sure all of her Bay Ridge Neighbors are in “Good Hands”, you can catch Kathy belting out a tune with The Ridge Chorale. Joining the chorale/theatre group was a turning point for Kathy. It led her down a path that crossed with Bay Ridge Cares very own Karen Tadross. Kathy met Karen while working on a local theatre production and woo’ed her over to The Ridge Chorale. It’s been a marriage made in heaven ever since! During Hurricane Sandy, Karen had mentioned that they were forming a kitchen to provide meals to those who lost so much during that horrific time. Kathy joined in by delivering meals and supplies. Bay Ridge Cares formed from that moment. Kathy has volunteered for BRC’s over the years, offering her photography talents, and her time. But, Kathy always knew she wanted to be a bigger part of Bay Ridge Cares, and finally that dream was realized when she became a board member. Kathy looks forward to being a productive part of the Bay Ridge Cares team.