The USO of Metropolitan New York held their 48th Woman of the Year event on September 26th at the iconic Plaza Hotel in NYC. 

Established in 1961, the USO Woman of the Year Luncheon recognizes the achievements and important work of female service members and business leaders, and it seeks to highlight the invaluable role that women play in support of our military.

The program was co-hosted by the very entertaining Dave Price, NBC Weather Anchor, Comedian and Alex Denis from CBS.

The Lifetime Service Award was presented to Hazel Cathers, longtime USO Volunteer and Executive Director, Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club.

The USO Woman of the Year award was presented to Joanna Geraghty, President and Chief Operating Officer of JetBlue. JetBlue is a major contributor to the success of the USO of Metropolitan New York, especially at JFK Terminal 5 where there is a center that was donated by JetBlue, built by Turner and Gensler for free and staffed by many company volunteers. Ms. Geraghty noted the success of JetBlue comes from their over 20,000 crew members which over 1,600 have served or are currently serving in the armed services.  The company proudly supports placing veterans in opportunities at JetBlue with the Vets in Blue program. 

Ms. Geraghty remarked Jetblue has core values in common with the USO. “First, we both strive to make a positive impact on all those who are traveling, whether going to, or coming from home. The second is a profound desire, a yearning almost, to be of service to others.”

It was a wonderful event coming together to support our local USO Center, the overall mission of the USO and honoring our military and their families that sacrifice so much to protect us at home.

Click here for more information about the USO and how to volunteer.