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Contact: Gail Donovan
Donovan Communications
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BROOKLYN PSYCHIATRIC CENTERS HONORS
DOMINIC R. MASCARA AND DR. SADIE FEDDOES

BROOKLYN, NY—April 23, 2004— Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers presented its Imagine Award to two community leaders at its annual “Friendraiser” at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on April 22.

“The two people we are honoring tonight— Dominic R. Mascara and Dr. Sadie Feddoes—have played and continue to play roles in making certain that our citizens receive the health care they need, and in guaranteeing that the positive work of nonprofits like ours is highlighted,” said Dr. Pamela Straker, president and CEO of Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers. “They truly dare to Imagine a better world.”

Mr. Mascara, who has more than 28 years of marketing and management experience in the healthcare, hospitality, and insurance industries, is president of Mascara Marketing & Management Consulting. Prior to founding his firm, he served as chief marketing officer of HEALTH PLUS for eight years where he helped build the organization from a small managed care plan with 13,000 members, to an organization that enabled more than 200,000 adults and children to receive health insurance and quality medical care. Mr. Mascara’s professional background also includes executive marketing positions with Executive Health Group, Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (HIP), Hyatt Hotels International, Holiday Inns National Sales, and Trusthouse Forte Hotels.  He serves on the board of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Harlem YMCA, Brooklyn Borough President’s Health Care Advisory Committee, Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation, and Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Mascara told the crowd that he came from very simple beginnings. “I’ve always related to the underdog,” he said. “What I’ve learned in the last 10 years is the power of giving…give, give, give, and it will come back to you. You don’t plan it, it just happens that way.”

Dr. Sadie Feddoes has been a weekly columnist for New York Amsterdam News since 1972, and was employed by Citibank for over 40 years before retiring as a Vice President and Community and Government Relations Officer. In 1999, Dr. Feddoes received an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, from Medgar Evers College/CUNY, and in July of the same year, she was appointed by Gov. George Pataki as a member of the council for the SUNY Health Science Center, Brooklyn. She served as past chairperson of the board of directors for the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the Billy Holiday Theatre, was a member of the board of Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), and served on the 1984-1985 regional panel of President Ronald Reagan’s commission on White House Fellowships. She also has received many awards from community groups. Dr. Feddoes was born in St. Vincent, West Indies, and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in business from Pace University.

“Over the years, there have been many people who have helped me in one way or another and I realize how much I have gained from them, so I’m trying to do my thing by helping people, whether it’s by giving exposure to a nonprofit or a scholarship to a student,” Ms. Feddoes said.

Dr. Straker told the guests that the last year has been the agency’s most challenging year from a financial perspective and also from the perspective of its clients, with some feeling a pervasive lack of hope brought on by a bad economy, a war, and terrorism fears.

“For these reasons, we sincerely appreciate your support of this event tonight,” Dr. Straker said. “Those of you who are here are ensuring the future of our organization, and also ensuring that the safety net, and the role Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers plays in securing the safety net for vulnerable people in Brooklyn, doesn’t disappear.”

Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers, which was founded in 1907, provides borough-wide mental health services to Brooklyn’s most vulnerable residents through its clinics in Bushwick, Canarsie, Flastbush-Sheepshead Bay, Williamsburg-Greenpoint, and downtown Brooklyn and the borough’s public schools.  It was among the agencies that provided therapeutic services to school-aged children following the September 11 disaster. Its diverse staff of more than 100 professionals makes more than 60,000 visits annually to adults, seniors, and their families. Public funding and government contracts comprise 90 percent of Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers’ income, and the remainder is raised from the community.

More information about Brooklyn Psychiatric Centers is available by calling 718-875-5625 or at www.bpcinc.org.

Former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden, honorees Dominic R. Mascara and Dr. Sadie Feddoes, Dr. Pamela Straker, president and CEO of BPC, and Assemblyman Nick Perry.