First Annual Barbara J. Chocky Award For Public Service Will Be Presented To A Roosevelt Island Or Upper East Side High School Senior Involved In Social Justice, Civic Or Political Issues - Eligible Applicants For $1 Thousand Award Must Show Ongoing Dedication To Continue Ms Chocky's Legacy, Application Due May 13

Barbara Chocky was a long time Upper East Side community activist and member of Manhattan Community Board 8 

Photo Courtesy Of Amy Baxter

which covers the UES and Roosevelt Island. Ms Chocky died October 11, 2021. 

According to an October 14, 2021 Upper East Side Patch article:

Barbara Chocky, a community leader who fought for affordable housing and defended the Upper East Side's most vulnerable residents during a decades-long career in public service, died on Tuesday at the age of 81.

The cause was leukemia, with which she had been diagnosed less than a month ago, said Elaine Walsh, a longtime friend of Chocky's and fellow member of Community Board 8.

Over the years, Chocky worked everywhere from Hunter College to the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, but it was the community board that took up the biggest chunk of her life. She was CB8's longest-tenured member, serving since 1981 and sitting through untold hours' worth of public meetings. 

"She was a short woman but a very powerful woman," Walsh said. "She had her fingers in a lot of different things."...

Leslie Gottlieb reports:

In recognition of her decades of outstanding community service and leadership, the first annual Barbara J. Chocky Award for Public Service will be presented to a high school senior who lives on the Upper East Side/Roosevelt Island and is involved in social justice issues, civic or political life. The $1,000 Annual Award will be presented in June, 2022.

The Award was started by Barbara’s close friends Pete Grannis, former Assemblyman and currently First Deputy Comptroller for the New York State Office of the State Comptroller, and Amy Baxter, former aide to Pete Granis, with a GoFundMe Campaign following Barbara’s death in October 2021.

According to City Councilwoman Gale Brewer, a longtime friend, ”It is very fitting to honor Barbara’s deep commitment to social justice by awarding an annual scholarship to a high school senior who demonstrates an ongoing dedication to continue her legacy.“ 

Barbara Chocky was a prominent political leader on the Upper East Side and in New York City politics. She had a Masters in Public Administration and was a Registered Nurse. She was a passionate activist who was committed to advocacy, social justice and public and community service. She also mentored many young professionals.

Eligible students must reside on the Upper East Side ( from E 59th St to E 96th St., from Fifth Avenue to the East River, and Roosevelt Island). All applicants should be in good academic standing at their high school and must submit a one page essay on their involvement in community service, electoral politics and/or government, as well as any volunteerism. 

Applications and an official transcript should be emailed to:  BarbaraChockyMemorialAward@gmail.com  by May 13, 2022. Finalists will be contacted for interviews in late May. The Barbara J. Chocky Memorial Award committee will consider diversity, equity and inclusion when reviewing applications. 

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. The recipient will be presented with the Award in June.

Donations to the fund may be made to the Barbara J. Chocky Memorial Award on Go Fund Me.

Announcing the Barbara J. Chocky Memorial Award for Public Service for High School Seniors

Apply here: https://t.co/1CPl22lZlm pic.twitter.com/JEVHIW8uwC

— Barbara Chocky Memorial Award (@ChockyAward) April 25, 2022

Friends and colleagues shared their memories of Ms Chocky during a November 10, 2021 Special Meeting of Community Board 8.

 

More on Ms Chocky from NY Times obituary and Upper East Side Patch article.