On October 3rd, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) raised $200,000 in support of mentoring at their Annual Big Benefit Gala at The Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY. This year’s event honored Anil Kapoor, President & CEO, SVAM International, Inc.; Liz Meyers, Executive Vice President of Purchasing & Global Sourcing, Darby Dental Supply, LLC and Dr. David Weissberg, President, Long Island Orthopedic Solutions for their service and support to BBBSLI, which has been providing quality mentoring services to youth across Long Island for 42 years.
“I would like to congratulate our Honorees, Anil Kapoor, Liz Meyers and Dr. David Weissberg,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island CEO, Mark Cox. “We extend our sincere gratitude to our honorees and sponsors for their continued support of this event, which raises the funds needed so our agency never has to say no to a child on Long Island in need of our mentoring services”.
As BBBSLI’s marquee fundraiser, the Big Benefit Gala raises funds in support of the agency’s mission to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth across Long Island. The event was also an opportunity for the agency to raise awareness about the role of adults in helping children achieve their best possible futures by defending their potential. The night’s program featured Bigs & Littles who spoke about their close bond and the impact being matched has had on their lives.
Big Sister Mickey and her Little Sister Katie, who have been matched for eight years, were one of the matches highlighted on stage. Mickey spoke about how special it has been to watch Katie grow up from a young girl into a smart, caring, funny teenager who now aspires to be a doctor. “The sky is the limit for Katie, and I couldn’t be prouder to be her Big Sister,” said Mickey.
Katie shared, “I cherish the moments we’ve spent over the years doing fun things together, but the best memories I have are the times when it’s just the two of us talking to each other. Mickey has become an outlet for me, the person I turn to whenever I need to talk about a problem or just to share something that I’m really excited about.”
BBBSLI would like to extend our sincere gratitude to this year’s honorees and sponsors for helping to make our 2019 Big Benefit Gala a success. Thank you to our Innovation Sponsor: Darby Dental Supply, LLC; Mission Sponsor: Dr. David & Sandra Weissberg/ Long Island Orthopedic Solutions; Strengthen Sponsor: SVAM International, Inc.; Impact Sponsor: Col. E. David Woycik, Jr. (Ret), Esq., Contract Pharma-Cal Corp.; Engage Sponsors: CHIPS Technology Group, Dime Community Bank, Openlink, Piping Rock, VICOM ProServ; Sparkle Bar Sponsor: Fortunoff Fine Jewelry; Party Sponsors: Advantage Title, Aegis Communications, Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP, Cohen, Hoenigmann & Badolato, CPA’s PC, New York Community Bank; Sweet Treat To-Go Sponsor: Savers and Match Sponsors: Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella & Yedid, P.C., Steel Equities. Special thanks to all our auction and raffle donors as well as our event partners and volunteers: Chocolate Works, Concierge Photography, Crest Hollow Country Club, Mineola Florist, Onyx Print Studios and Sir Speedy.
If the special bond shared between Big Sister Mickey and Little Sister Katie’s inspires you, let them know by making a gift in support of their mentoring relationship, or you can honor a mentor who has made a positive impact on your life by making a gift in their name by clicking HERE or calling Chrissy Mahoney at 516-731-7880 x. 214
To view more photos from the event click HERE
Photo Credit: Alex M. Wolff, Concierge Photography
