Events
August 12, 2025 5:30pm-7:30pm
Philanthropy Magnified Reception
106 Cayuga Heights Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850
Community Foundation Board of Directors announce Philanthropy Magnified Reception. This annual event recognizes donors who support the Foundation with $1,000 or more, as members of the Philanthropy Magnified Society. HEROES Circle members have designated their gifts to the annual fund programs and services, where needed most. We also proudly honor the commitment and intentions of those who have joined the Legacy Society, who have informed us of a forever planned gift, at this reception as well. It is a pleasure to connect the passions of donors with results-oriented solutions addressing the needs and problems in our community.
You are among our most philanthropic supporters. Community Foundation of Tompkins County cordially invites you and a guest to join us for this special reception in your honor to express our gratitude and share the impact of your generosity. Enjoy refreshments and conversation at the Greystone. Cash bar. Attire: consider dressy casual, perhaps 1920’s inspired or an era from yesteryear.
Tour the Greystone, a unique historic property in Cayuga Heights. Completed in 1913 by New York architect John Van Pelt, Greystone, now the Sigma Chi fraternity house, was once the home of the glamorous silent movie star Irene Castle and her husband Robert Treman. Film clips from Ithaca’s Wharton Studios, Inc.’s 1918 A Romance of the Air, parts of which were filmed at Greystone. Silent film accompanied with curated music playlist by WRFI’s radio host, Roger Smith. Have your photograph taken at the special property by Sheryl Sinkow Photography.
Remarks at 6:30pm. Learn more about our communities. We are looking forward to seeing you!
Program: Irene Castle: Fashion Icon, Film Star, and Philanthropist
Speaker: Denise Green, Director of Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection, Cornell University. In the early 1920s, Irene Castle was more than Ithaca’s best-dressed resident—she was a global fashion icon who helped redefine women’s style. This talk explores Castle’s multifaceted legacy, focusing on her time in Ithaca as a silent film star, her influential fashion line developed in partnership with the Corticelli Silk Mills, and the ways her designs shaped the wardrobes of American women. We’ll also highlight her passionate advocacy for animal welfare and the philanthropic work that defined her later years.
Bio: Denise Nicole Green, is an Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Management in the Department of Human Centered Design at Cornell University where she holds the Lau Family Professorship in Fiber Science and Apparel Design. Dr. Green is the inaugural Rebecca Q. Morgan Faculty Fellow in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research and also directs the Cornell Fashion + Textile Collection and the graduate studies program in Fiber Science and Apparel Design. She is an award-winning curator, documentary filmmaker, and writer. Her work has been featured in Women’s Wear Daily, CNN Style, Jezebel, and Time Magazine, among other media outlets, and she has published more than 40 academic papers. She recently co-authored, with Susan B. Kaiser, the 2nd edition of Fashion and Cultural Studies (published by Bloomsbury Academic in 2022).
Parking UPDATE: There will be approx. 15-20 spots on the grounds to the right side of the house/driveway. Please do not park in the semi-circular driveway of the property. Additionally, you may park on the east side of Cayuga Heights Road which is the opposite side of 106 Cayuga Heights Road. Some spots may be available on Sunset Park Drive. Please use caution crossing Cayuga Heights Road.
RSVP today. Connect with fellow community philanthropists, share your perspective, and be part of this joyful reception, during our 25th Anniversary Year. We’re excited to celebrate this journey — together.
We gratefully acknowledge the contribution’s to this evening’s celebratory reception:
Roger Smith, radio host, ‘Crazy Words, Crazy Tune’ weekly on WFRI Community Radio
Diana Reisman, Executive Director/Co-Founder, Wharton Studio Museum
Christine O’Malley, Preservation Services Director, Historic Ithaca
Rick Manning, Co-Founder and Emeritus Executive Director, Friends of Stewart Park
Thomas Wilkinson, Alpha Phi Chapter of Sigma Chi
Denise Nicole Green, Associate Professor of Fashion Design and Management in the Department of Human Centered Design at Cornell University
John Foote, president, Sigma Chi of Cornell’s Alumni Association and distant relative of Irene Castle
Catering by Serendipity
Sheryl Sinkow Photography
Thank you to Community Foundation’s donors and business sponsors for your support of community philanthropy.
Register for this Event