Regis Philbin and a host of city luminaries toasted 10 of the everyday shining stars who brighten the lives of New Yorkers, as the eighth annual New York Post Liberty Medals were awarded yesterday.
Philbin, who has emceed the awards for seven consecutive years, starred again at last night's ceremony, held at the Midtown headquarters of News Corp., which owns The Post.
"The stories we're gonna hear tonight are fantastic," he said. "Regular people doing really extraordinary things, and we take this special opportunity to honor them simply because they inspire the rest of us."
Winner Israel Soto, a principal who turned once-failing PS/MS 57 in East Harlem into a success story, said he wants to share his Educator medal "with all the dreamers and doers with a heart for giving . . . and with all the extraordinary children in our city whose deep desire to succeed and courage to overcome obstacles along their journey make them the true heroes and heroines."
Long Island teacher Jennifer Mazzotta-Perretti, who won the Courage medal for donating one of her kidneys to a student, said, "I think when you do things for the right reasons and don't expect anything in return, really great things can come from it."
The Post inaugurated the Liberty Medals program in the aftermath of 9/11 to hail the unsung heroes who flocked to help others.
A panel of prominent New Yorkers selected the winners from the finalists in each of eight categories. There were ties in two categories. Two Finest and two Bravest medals were awarded.
The Finest medals were presented by Police Commissioner Ray
Kelly, and the Bravest medals by Sal Cassano, chief of department for the FDNY.
Officer Susan Porcello, who took an ailing 84-year-old former Marine under her wing, dedicated her Finest medal to "all branches of the US military, past, present and future. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be the greatest country in the world. I'm not the hero. They are." >>>
