Real Estate and Construction Gala to Honor Heavy Lifters
An, Wrench and Liz Make Powerful Contributions to Special Olympics New York
By Randy Robertson, NYC Regional Storyteller
New York, NY – Barrett An of Brooklyn lifted huge weights and broke multiple records as a gold medal winning powerlifter at the Special Olympics USA Games in June.
Sarah Wrench and Alexandra Liz have done their share of heavy lifting too. Wrench and Liz are successful business leaders who volunteer with the committee that works with Special Olympics New York to coordinate a significant annual fundraising and networking event in Manhattan.
Wrench and Liz will be recognized for their stellar work as Co-Honorees at the 2026 New York City Real Estate & Construction Gala on September 15 in Manhattan. Gold medalist An will be the program’s featured athlete speaker.
“Both Alex and Sarah are working very hard to make this year’s gala a huge success for our athletes,” said Diane Colonna, the Special Olympics New York Vice President of Downstate Operations.
The annual NYC Real Estate & Construction Gala will be held at Gotham Hall at 1356 Broadway in Manhattan. Cocktails will begin at 6 pm, followed by a sit-down dinner and the evening program. Savills is the Elite Sponsor for this year’s gala. Additional details about the event, including sponsorship and tickets can be found here. Those not available to attend the gala may sponsor athletes through the site.
The gala, led by co-chairs Hugh O’Connell and Mindy Williams, will be a wonderful opportunity to recognize the impact of Wrench and Liz.
Wrench moved to New York City in 2010 and like many newcomers to the metropolitan area, she looked for opportunities to get involved. She soon discovered Special Olympics New York and has been supporting athletes with intellectual disabilities ever since.
“I’m so grateful that Sarah came to New York,” Colonna said. “As Sarah likes to say, she came to New York and didn’t know anyone, and she got involved with Special Olympics New York. She didn’t just make Special Olympics her first community, she made it her forever community.”
Wrench is a real estate leader in her role in Hospitality & Experience, Global Workplace Services at Capital One. Over her career, Sarah has led market strategy, portfolio management, workplace experience and end-to-end real estate operations.
Alex Liz is currently the Vice President, Corporate Real Estate and Workplace at Blackstone. She oversees workplace services, space planning, occupancy analytics and lease management across the Americas.
“Alex is a true friend of Special Olympics,” Colonna said. “She is so supportive and so consistent for the athletes.”
The inspiring work of Wrench and Liz, and so many other volunteers statewide, leads to opportunities for athletes such as An to compete and succeed. An will be joined at the gala podium by Chris Hughes, who successfully coached An and the New York powerlifting team at those USA Games.
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