Whether it’s volunteering, advocating or partnerships with local organizations, people supported by AHRC Nassau find joy and pride from giving back – and last month was no exception. People supported in Day and Residential Services chose to raise funds for those experiencing hardship throughout the United States and around the world.
As part of Day Services, people have the option to participate in Community Hub Site Council. They meet once a month and discuss the activities in their locations, their goals, and accomplishments. Sue Limiti, an Activities Specialist, facilitates the meetings with her colleagues Carolyn Clarke and Amy Yeung, and regularly discusses current events with the council. When significant events occur, she asks the members to brainstorm how they can help. Such was the case in February when she touched on the California wildfires that left hundreds of people dealing with housing and financial insecurity.
Council Members Take Action
When someone threw out the idea of a bake sale, Kevin VanNuis from Massapequa-Carmans quickly shouted, “We’ll do it,” enlisting his Day Services location to take the lead on the project.
“He’s the president for the hub site,” laughed Judith Green. “I said, ‘Kevin, next time can you ask everyone before volunteering us,’ but we love baking here and once I mentioned it to the rest of the site, they were all ready.”
Joining in with Massapequa-Carmans were people supported in Hicksville, Seaford, and Freeport Day Services. Within two weeks, the sites baked and prepared items for the sale. They sold a combination of home-baked and store-bought goods. Freeport made beautifully decorated cupcakes, Hicksville contributed cookies and banana bread, and Massapequa-Carmans completed the assortment with apple cake and additional cupcakes.
The sale came together in mid-March, when the sites held pop-up sales enticing customers at AHRC Nassau’s Plainview office and Freeport Program Without Walls.
Altogether, they raised over $520 to benefit people in California. Judith credits the initiative of Kevin, star baker Jamie Grigoraki who led her peers and support staff in baking, along with Assistant Manager Kyeasia Snell and Direct Support Professional Elaine McLaren for always empowering the 32 people supported at Massapequa-Carmans to be their best, most creative selves.
Dining For a Cause
Residents supported through AHRC Nassau’s Residential Services also found a way to give back – by attending the Giving Tree Family fundraiser held at the Brookville Mansion on Sunday March 30. The event raised money for those affected by the California wildfires and the devastating earthquakes in Burma.
People supported in over two dozen residences traveled to the mansion to enjoy an evening filled with food, camaraderie, and musical bingo.
Bellmore Avenue resident Courtney Nupp enjoyed having something different to do with her Sunday afternoon. As the music played, she looked forward to winning a prize from her musical bingo card
“I like the music,” Courtney said. “I feel good about helping. I hope they raise a lot of money; I’d like that. They’ll know that we understand.”
Courtney was happy to learn she was supporting a good cause while having fun with her roommate. Her wish for a good turnout was confirmed by Giving Tree Family Treasurer Branden Lin.
“This is one of the first time we’ve done one of these events here,” said Brendan. “We’re matching one dollar for every dollar we raise, so far, we raised $3650. Half of it is going toward the earthquakes in Burma, and the other half is going to the organizations who are helping those suffering from the LA wildfires.”
The fundraiser came to life thanks to the hard work of Giving Tree Family Founders Ting Dai, Linda Zhou, and Sandia Lu, along with Volunteer and Project Coordinator Jerri Walker and Community Relations Liaison Lynne Brewer.