RSS 2.0 FeedAugust 5, 2010, Merrick Life
Meadowbrook Women's Initiative makes donations
MWI celebrates its first year with a round of donations.
By Linda Susman
The Hofstra University School of Medicine, Hatzilu Rescue Organization, Inc., and Sunrise Day Camp have been chosen as the first recipients of charitable donations from Meadowbrook Women’s Initiative.
The presentation of checks, which took place at Temple Chaverim in Plainview this summer was followed by the installation of Lori Schonfeld, of Island Park, as president of MWI for a second term, with Nassau County District Court Judge Bonnie Chaikin presiding.
All of MWI’s donations are locally based. Hofstra’s medical school, which is scheduled to open in 2012, is the only one that will be a recipient every year; this year’s donation will provide a summer scholarship for a local student to work in a medical setting, such as a clinic or inner-city hospital where they might not be paid. The other two charities will change every year, based on nominations by MWI members and vetting by MWI’s philanthropy committee.
Sunrise Day Camp, in its fifth season, is the only day camp in the world devoted to children with cancer and their siblings; they attend free of charge. Hatzilu provides food, financial aid, social work intervention and assistance, and emotional support to Jews in need in the Nassau County area.
As it begins its second year, MWI has more than 400 members, mostly retired women, who live in virtually every community in Nassau county, as well as Suffolk county and Queens. The organization is dedicated to promoting lifetime learning, serving the community, raising funds for worthwhile local causes and making a difference in the lives of members and the lives of others. Among its regular activities are: 30 study groups; museum trips; a book and author luncheon; theater party, card party; knitting afghans for AIDS patients and preemie hats and “ouch babies” for children in hospitals; volunteering at the A. Holly Patterson extended care facility in Uniondale; delivering and serving food at the Mary Brennan INN; and working with NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
There also is a large and active singles group, with more than 100 women participating in a variety of weekday and weekend activities. “Meadowbrook Women’s Initiative is essentially a women’s service organization, encompassing charity, philanthropy, sorority and education,” says Ms. Schonfeld. “Since we have no overhead and all of our members are volunteers, the monies that we raise go directly to Long Island-based charities. I am delighted and proud that we have met and surpassed our goals in our very first year.” For more about MWI’s many programs, and for information about joining, go to www.meadowbrookwomen.org.
