Hi Neighbor,
My buddy Grasmere Steve, he who keeps me in the loop on what’s happening in national publications around America while I keep an eye on the comings and goings in our 59 square miles of God’s Country, shared a feature published every Sunday in The Washington Post.
It’s called “The Optimist,” a compilation of “good news” stories. Not a negative tale in the bunch.
It reminds me of a feature my predecessor began in the 1980s. We just called it “Good News,” and still do it from time to time.
So today, I thought I’d share a good news story the Advance has been doing since the 1960s – honoring women who go above and beyond to make Staten Island a better place.
We call it Women of Achievement, and today we are calling for nominations of women we might honor in May.
The prestigious 2026 Women of Achievement program is brought to you by the Advance and Richmond University Medical Center, with support from the Staten Island Foundation, under the auspices of a non-profit organization called Staten Island Women Inc.
The program’s mission is broad and has changed, but will always adhere to its founding principle:
To recognize women who go above and beyond in their volunteer work, while encouraging others to do the same.
Scenes from the 2025 Women of Achievement luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn in Bloomfield on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)(Advance/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)
Five-hundred-plus have ascended to the Women of Achievement pedestal since the Advance established the program in 1962.
Dan Messina, president and CEO of Richmond University Medical Center, recognized the impact the women who are honored have in the community, and the value to promote the program, committing the hospital as a multi-year lead sponsor.
A Staten Island Woman of Achievement is one who goes above and beyond. She might go above and beyond making life better for the developmentally disabled. Or those in long-term hospital or nursing home care. She might go above and beyond in working with those hungry or homeless. Or above and beyond in working to better our environment, or with our stray animal population.
The cause is really wide open. It’s the work the woman does with little or no additional compensation, beyond doing good.
Email nominations are preferable. Send them to woa@siadvance.com.
Or if you prefer mail:
Staten Island Advance
Women of Achievement
1441 South Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10314
Just a few musts:
1. Make your nomination as detailed as possible. What has your candidate done to make our hometown better? Why should our judges name her a Staten Island Woman of Achievement?
2. Include her name, address and telephone number.
3. Include your name, address and telephone number so we can follow up, if needed.
That’s all there is to it. Look forward to hearing from you.
Brian
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks in front of the Unisphere alongside his transition team, from left, Elana Leopold, Melanie Hartzog, Maria Torres-Springer, Grace Bonilla, and Lina Khan, in Queens,Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)AP
Oh by the way: I was berated by a reader last week for talking about Donald Trump’s ballroom in this “by the way” space after a feel-good column on Freshkills Park. “I’m not interested in your opinion about the ballroom and would not have bothered reading if had been clearly labeled,” Judith let me know. “Kind of a bait and switch.” Since today’s missive is all about Staten Island women who do good, we will stay away from all-things-political. Except to comment that our mayor-elect has appointed a transition team – all women. They are leaders with deep experience in public service, nonprofit management, and city administration. All women of achievement, it seems. Let us all be hopeful that they, too, do good.
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