Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Goat Games

The founder of Gershman Law, PLLC, a NYC-based boutique corporate law firm, Dyan Gershman is a highly experienced lawyer specializing in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. Outside of her legal practice, Dyan Gershman supports numerous local charities.

One organization that Dyan Gershman supports is the Catskill Animal Sanctuary and their unique programs. Located in the Hudson Valley in New York on 150 acres, the Catskill Animal Sanctuary serves as a refuge for farm animals rescued from cruelty, abandonment, and neglect. It was established in 2001 and since that time the Sanctuary has rescued and rehabilitated more than 5,000 mistreated, abandoned, and neglected farm animals. One of the Sanctuary’s popular events for raising awareness for animal sanctuaries are the Goat Games.

The Goat Games were started in 2020 as a response for the delayed Olympic Games. The 2021 Goat Games were a virtual event, allowing participants to choose one of the sports or activities and raise funds for one of the participating sanctuaries (there were 10 participating sanctuaries in total). The possible sports included hiking, running, swimming, biking, and more, allowing everyone to participate and spread awareness and fun.

The participants then performed the chosen sport or activity, or donated directly to one of the 10 sanctuaries sponsoring the Goat Games. Participating athletes were encouraged to post their progress on social media and spread the word about the event to their friends. The Games were a resounding success, with over $200,000 raised throughout the week-long event.

HRCS Sail Academy Equipping Students with Key Life Skills

Dyan Gershman is a corporate attorney who manages her own firm, Gershman Law, PLLC, in New York City. Over the course of her career, Dyan Gershman has handled many complex corporate transactions, including numerous cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. In addition to those types of transactions, she also provides her US and international clients with legal support on a wide array of commercial contracts, and on technology and intellectual property licensing. Outside of her corporate law career, Dyan Gershman enjoys sailing and is a member of Hudson River Community Sailing.

Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS) is a non-profit that helps to promote leadership and academic success by providing sailing and maritime education to populations in New York City’s underserved neighborhoods. HRCS has a youth development program, Sail Academy, which is an after-school program that teaches 200 New York City public middle and high school students math and science, as well as teaches them about sailing and boat building skills.

Partnering with multiple public schools, HRCS Sail Academy operates from both Chelsea and Inwood. Students in the program learn to sail on the Hudson River while developing teamwork and communication skills. Sail Academy Chelsea collaborates with seven public high schools that enroll students from across the five boroughs of New York City. Sail Academy Inwood works with public middle schools whose student population resides in Inwood and Washington Heights.

The purpose of the academy is to equip students with skills needed to excel in high school, college, and careers. Besides learning sailing skills, students also learn key leadership traits that include self-confidence, teamwork, and communication. With math and science teaching, the academy boosts students’ interest in STEM subjects as well as in being ambassadors of environmental stewardship.