On Monday, November 21st Philanthropist, author, advocate, TV host, and fashion influencer, Jean Shafiroff hosted a holiday celebration with all her closest friends and family to help raise money for Mission Society of NYC. Jean has sat on the board of the Mission Society since 2014.
Throughout the party guests including Martin Shafiroff, Rita Cosby, John Catsimatidis, Aleks Mehrle, Aline Mehrle, Dr. Lee Philips, Martha Stine, Guy Stanley, Jonathan De Winter, Victor De Souza, Malan Breton, Janna Bullock, Michael Adams, Bill McCuddy, Jackie Weld Drake, Lee Fryd, Susan L. Taylor, heavy weight gold medal boxing champion Michael Spinks, Liliana Cavendish, Tony Bowles, Gloria Lee, Dee Rivera, Flo Anthony, Terry Corbett, and Randi Schatz enjoyed champagne and passed hors d’oeuvres provided by Cornelia Guest Catering. Midway through the night, Jean took the floor to speak about how thankful she was for her friends, family, and the blessings that life has provided her, before speaking about the importance of donating to the Mission Society that night.
The Mission Society began in 1812 to provide food, clothing, and other materials to the urban poor of the 19th century in New York City. The organization has continued to evolve over the years through what the main concerns were in the city. Currently the organization is focused on ending multigenerational poverty by facilitating academic enrichment, college access, and workforce development in Harlem and at 12 public school programs in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Since their beginning, Mission Society of NYC has provided life-changing opportunities to over 6.5 million New Yorkers and continues to reach approximately 5,500 children and parents each year.
About Jean Shafiroff:
Jean Shafiroff is a philanthropist, humanitarian, TV host, writer, and the author of the book “Successful Philanthropy: How to Make a Life by What You Give”. Jean has often been called the first lady of philanthropy by many publications because of her generosity and hard work as a philanthropic leader. She serves on the boards of many charitable organizations and each year chairs upwards of eight different charity galas. Among the many causes she champions are those involved in women’s rights, rights of underserved populations, health care, and animal welfare.
Jean serves on the boards of the American Humane, The New York Women’s Foundation, Southampton Hospital Association, NYC Mission Society, Couture Council of the Museum at FIT, French Heritage Society, Casita Maria, Global Strays, and Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation Honorary Board. A Catholic, she has served on the board of the Jewish Board for 28 years and now is one of their honorary trustees.
Jean served as the national spokesperson for the American Humane’s “Feed the Hungry” Covid-19 program, an initiative that raised $1,000,000 to provide food for over 1,000,000 animals living in 109 different shelters across the United States. She is the Ambassador for the Southampton Animal Shelter.
For her philanthropy Jean has been honored many times by groups including the American Humane, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, French Heritage Society. New York City Mission Society, Southampton Animal Shelter, Surgeons of Hope, Samuel Waxman Cancer Research, Operation Warrior Shield, Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, Pet Philanthropy Circle, Animal Zone International, Health Advocates for Older People, Youth Counselling League, the NYC International Film Festival Foundation, the Jewish Board, and the Hadassah. In December 2020 Dan’s Paper named her Philanthropist of the Year at their Long Island Power Women’s Award Ceremony. On September 22, 2022, Shafiroff received a Proclamation naming her the” First Lady of Philanthropy of New York” from NYS Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright representing the New York State Assembly. On November 17, 2022, Jean received a Congressional Recognition in the Congressional Record of the 117th Congress. This was presented to her by NYS Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright on behalf of Carolyn Maloney and the 117th Congress.
Jean is the producer and host of the television show “Successful Philanthropy” which airs six times weekly through LTV studios in East Hampton, NY, and then several times each week on Sun20TV in Southampton, NY. On her TV program Jean interviews politicians, celebrities, business leaders, philanthropic leaders, and has even interviewed a U.S. presidential candidate.
Jean Shafiroff is passionate about style and fashion. She owns a large collection of both couture and ready-to-wear designer ball gowns that she plans to donate to a museum one day. The collection includes many gowns by Malan Breton, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Mary McFaddan, Victor dE Souza, Zang Toi, B Michael and a number of other designers.
Jean Shafiroff earned an MBA in Finance from the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University and a BS in Physical Therapy from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. She worked on Wall Street in public finance and private partnerships. Before that she worked as a physical therapist at St. Luke’s Hospital in NYC.
Jean Shafiroff has over 1.000,000 instagram followers where she promotes positivity, philanthropy, and her love of fashion.
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About The Mission Society of NYC:
The Mission Society began in 1812 to provide food, clothing, and other forms of material assistance to the urban poor of 19th century New York City. Over time, our outreach adapted to the evolving needs of our neighbors – from offering aid to a growing and diverse immigrant population to serving the city’s Black and Latinx communities. Two centuries later, we remain active in the lives of many New Yorkers by providing transformative educational programming for K-12 students from low-income households.
A foundational charity in New York City history, the Mission Society has been a trailblazer, engaging with the diverse population of a growing metropolis through innovative service programs. In 1965, the Minisink Townhouse opened at 646 Malcolm X Boulevard on the original site of the Cotton Club, bringing most of our educational programs under one roof and creating a vibrant community center in the heart of the neighborhood.
Today, the Mission Society is committed to ending multigenerational poverty by unlocking the potential of the city’s most underserved families. We facilitate academic enrichment, college access, and workforce development programs in Harlem and at 12 public school programs in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Since our founding, we have provided life-changing opportunities to over 6.5 million New Yorkers and continue to reach approximately 5,500 children and parents each year.
For more information, please visit https://www.missionsociety.org/
