HONORING THE MASSAPEQUA COMMUNITY FUND

HONOREE GARY CUCCHI OF PROGRESSIVE MARKETING GROUP

THE MASSAPEQUA COMMUNITY FUND Board of Directors

The Massapequa Community Fund was started by a group of local and lifelong friends with the idea that they wanted to establish a scholarship fund at Massapequa Highschool as a way of giving back to the community James O’Rourke and all the members of the MCF Board recalled the challenges their parents faced in trying to afford college and wanted to ease the burden for other parents and youth in the Massapequa community who share this struggle

Working in partnership with other community members, the MCF decided to broaden their approach and establish a fund that could help the entire community, including families in need, and organizations serving the Massapequa community The MCF received support from various people, including many of the Massapequa ‘celebrities,’ who quietly and generously donated without any fanfare These include Brian Baldinger, Alec Baldwin, Brian Kilmeade, Jerry Seinfeld, and Tim Van Patten.

The members of MCF had an excellent working relationship with the Massapequa School District through Marty Voigt, a long-time coach and teacher on the MCF Board The MCF Board worked in coordination with YES Community Counseling Center and their staff to identify many of the families that were most in need and to ensure the funds were received The stories of the families helped are as heartbreaking and heart-warming as one can imagine. One of the core goals of the MCF was to maintain the privacy of families struggling and the reason few in the community knew they existed. The MCF always preserved the confidentiality and dignity of everyone they helped.

Since their inception, the Massapequa Community Fund has raised over two million dollars with the goal of ensuring that every single dollar reached someone in need As a result of their efforts, 198 students received scholarships and 50 teachers were able to benefit from the Harvard Program for Teachers In addition, 48 families in crisis received significant financial relief and local organizations, including YES Community Counseling Center, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and the Massapequa Women’s Club, were provided vital support to enhance their reach to families and youth in the Massapequa community.

The hearts of the Massapequa Community Fund Board of Directors and their members are what make their effort and impact possible As a result of their selfless acts, so many community members and families in despair not only receive financial relief but are given the immeasurable gift of compassion and understanding during their most desperate times We thank the Massapequa Community Fund for providing our community with the utmost kindness and inspiring others to extend their hearts as well