Help Honor Yulz with a Central Park Bench

There are few things that Yulia loved more in the world than her dog Lilly, living in New York City and her friends. After moving NYC 20 years ago, she worked long and hard building the life she always wanted in the city. She landed a thriving career at Freshfields, moved into a beautiful apartment in the Upper West Side and surrounded herself with books, experiences and the greatest circle of friends and colleagues anyone could hope for.

She was a fan of whiskey, classic Russian lit, kitchen appliances(that she seldom used), crime-detective dramas, puppy dog memes and summer vacations on her birthdays. She always remembered our birthdays and gave us the most thoughtful presents that we didn't think we deserved. She stood out as the first to help and the last to ask for help.

Yulia's sudden passing in March from lymphoma has left us all stunned, grieving and saddened in ways that are incomprehensible to describe. We all wish that we had more time with her to share stories, late night office gossip, memes, and dinner reservations together. I believe the best way for us to remember Yulia is with a bench in Central Park though the Conservancy's Adopt-A-Bench program - https://www.centralparknyc.org/giving/adopt-a-bench

With a $10,000 donation to the Central Park Conservancy, we can adopt a bench in Central Park and have a plaque dedicated to her with the following inscription:

"In memory of Yulia Dernovsky, who lived her best life with her dog Lilly and the greatest friends ever. 1982 ~ 2024"

I contacted the Central Park Conservancy at the beginning of June and they stated there are benches available in either the playgrounds or tennis courts near W 90th that we can dedicate for Yulia. The location would be ideal because Yulia loved taking Lilly on evening walks through the park entrance on W 91st towards the Reservoir - they had some of their fondest memories(and best dog-selfies) in this area together.

Hopefully through the support of GoFundMe and your help, I would like to raise 5000 towards Yulia's Central Park bench (I would contribute the remaining amount). My goal is to have Yulia's Central Park bench application submitted mid summer and the bench dedicated in the Fall(pending the Central Park Conservancy's schedule).

Thank you,

Kevin (Alan)