CRE's Leading Ladies Honored at Women of Valor Awards

NEW YORK CITY-When it comes to giving back to the community, it takes a lot of heart—and a little bit of “faith.” Nine women from the commercial real estate and construction industry were honored for their charitable works  and improving the lives of the city’s less fortunate during St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters’ 10^th Annual “Women of Valor” Awards tea and luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Aug. 2.

“We’ve come a long way, and we thought about doing something very special,” said Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of retail leasing at Prudential Douglas Elliman, who told the 1,000+ attendees that all donations from Thursday’s luncheon will be matched by Consolo’s foundation, Real Estate Has A Heart, a new organization that she launched earlier this year to aid the city’s underprivileged population. “The economy has changed,” she said, adding: “Now the pantry has a very big responsibility.”

St. Francis Food Pantries & Shelters, which supports 22 nonprofit food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island, Westchester and New Jersey, serves 9,000 families and 1.5 million meals a year.

Highlighting how women in the industry can make a difference, television host, entrepreneur and health & wellness advocate Joan Lunden, keynote speaker and honorary chair of the event, stressed that all women – no matter their profession or background – can make a positive impact right in their own backyard.