Long Island Needs US
A few years ago, Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds of the Family & Children’s Association gave us an update regarding what’s needed on Long Island. For all his positivity, it was a very sober assessment of a human services sector in crisis.
While he remains a pillar of perseverance and resilience, I doubt his outlook has changed for the brighter. The challenges are grave, and we can’t seem to get our acts together to deal with them. When I recently spoke with another gentleman who plays a tremendous role in facilitating charitable giving on Long Island, he had a grim view himself, lamenting at how the bottom is falling out of so many safety nets.
Whether we’re talking about government, corporate or personal giving, Long Island needs more support directed toward the local organizations that address our local challenges. Not to knock national organizations. They have incredibly important roles to play. Still, the folks who help people on Long Island tend to be relatively small organizations focused on Long Island.
Please consider:
Health & Human Services Organizations
The United Way of LI, for example, does a lot to coordinate with others to address all sorts of pressing needs. A major program this time of year is Project Warmth, which helps keep homes heated when families are struggling to make ends meet. They also have a number of programs to support students and young adults, as well as seniors.
Housing Help provides a wealth of information for folks in financial crisis and with other human service needs.
Rebuilding Together Long Island coordinates over 250 volunteers to help needing Long Islanders by providing free home safety repairs, as well as modifications for those with physical limitations.
Long Island Cares and Island Harvest are major entities addressing hunger on Long Island. The INN helps feed people, too, and additionally focuses on homelessness. We also encourage you to check out your own local churches and other organizations, some of whom have really deep ties in their specific communities. We’ve got a food drive going on at the Gallery ourselves that wraps up at the end of this week!
Pal-O-Mine Equestrian provides a comprehensive therapeutic equine program using horses to facilitate growth, learning and healing. Their population served includes children and adults with disabilities, survivors of trauma, the military and the impoverished.
Due to funding issues, unfortunately, the Safe Center no longer exists, but the link does lead to an offering of other resources for those suffering abuse, many of which could use support themselves.
The Family & Children’s Association serves those in need of human services in Nassau County. The Family Service League similarly serves Suffolk. Again, many smaller organizations, like the Tri-CYA do incredible work on a very local level. At the other end, the Health & Welfare Council of LI serves as an umbrella organization, serving individuals, myriad human service organizations, and a whole bunch of folks in between.
Central Nassau Guidance inspires and catalyzes recovery for people living with mental health and substance use conditions through innovative and person-centered integrated clinical treatment, counseling, housing and support services — empowering those served to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We were honored to write about them and the crisis center that they recently opened.
Of course, human service organizations get a lot of attention — rightfully so! Still, if you are passionate about the environment, art, science, animal rescue, preservation, good governance, anything else — including favorite mom & pop shops! — PLEASE FOCUS YOUR GIVING THERE, especially on LOCAL organizations dedicated to serving our Island. Please check out our website for a wealth of organizations, and look around to see who else is serving YOUR community!
Many organizations are terrible at asking for money because they are so focused on giving. PLEASE DON’T WAIT FOR THEM TO ASK. SUPPORT THEM!!!
Environmental Organizations
Environmental organizations require our support. They also tend to be very grateful for folks who start at home by committing to be a bit greener themselves.
Rewild Long Island is a remarkable partnership of folks who care for our planted environment that collaborates with local communities across Long Island to protect and improve the biodiversity, resilience and health of regional ecosystems. This is achieved by adopting sustainable landscaping practices centered on the use of native plants.
Giving of ourselves to make the world a better place can start right at home. Among ways to do that, we also recommend checking the Long Island Native Plant Gardening Group, which isn’t asking for monetary donations at all, but really would love for you to give the world the gift of a more sustainable backyard. After all, the best time to start thinking about your garden is now!!! There are a number of great organizations and other resources toward that end in this article — which we also welcome updates to!
We also appreciate Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment. Whether they’re advancing renewable energy and jobs, or helping us figuring out where the poisons are and how to reduce the plastic, protecting open space or just rolling up their sleeves to meaningfully participate in diverse, practical coalitions for the common good, CCE helps people take action. Check ’em out!
Finally, while we’re generally among those thinking globally and acting locally, when it comes to the rapidly disappearing rainforest, we are best to be reminded that what happens half a world away can have a tremendous impact on the well being of our own Island. We were deeply moved by our encounter with Leif Cocks of The Orangutan Project at an event co-sponsored by The Nature Conservancy at the Cold Spring Harbor Library. Sister organizations include the International Elephant Project, the International Tiger Project, and Wildlife Asia.
....and Veterans' Organizations
We are grateful to all the VSOs who are giving it their best to stay connected and to keep serving both fellow veterans and the broader community. For one, we deeply appreciate Lonnie Sherman and his General Needs which focuses on helping the 5000+ homeless Long Island Veterans and their families by providing basic necessities through your charitable donations and support. We’ll be telling you more about that, soon.
We also encourage you to appreciate the spirit of Veteran Kevin McNeil and check out the organizations he supports … including LI Sled Hockey, which serves a number of veterans as well as a whole host of other folks!
And This Unique, Uniquely Important Organization, The Fair Media Council...
Here’s another great organization, a Long Island original that the world could use a whole lot more of: The Fair Media Council works to advance quality journalism, to help people like us better recognize and appreciate it when we see it, and to shine light to assist us in better understanding the media landscape as a whole. We’re honored to call them a friend and a sponsor. It’s important stuff…Check ’em out and give them a boost if you will…
They’re a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Support them, take advantage of their exclusive programs and offerings, and get media savvy.
Become a Member Benefits abound.
Subscribe to their Podcast Their FastChats are incredible and have already won two awards. It’s Information you can use.
Arts Organizations
In this season of giving, please also consider a gift to your favorite local arts organization. The Long Island Arts Alliance -which exists to serve local arts organizations and could use your support itself! Check our their member organizations to find a broad range of local 501(c)3 arts organizations that could use our support.
For us, it’s the Huntington Arts Council (which has significant regional impact) and the Northport Arts Coalition (a most hyper-local gem) that happen to have our hearts. We encourage you to find organizations that touch yours.
We are also particularly fond of the endeavor to transform the Dix Hills Home of John & Alice Coltrane into a museum and cultural touch point.
There's More
Sososososo much more. We haven’t even scratched the surface of topics! If you’ve got a passion to care for some cause, there’s someone out here giving all they’ve got to serve it, too. We encourage you to check out local papers, see what folks are doing, and get involved.
Do give mindfully, but also be mindful that some of the most common advice regarding how to discern a good organization is simplistic hogwash. Some of the best advice we’ve heard about evaluating organizations has come from Marion Conway, Jeff Reynolds and David Okorn. The best thing we know to do, ourselves, is to get out there and get involved, and personally get to know these folks who are, in fact, our neighbors. It’s a great way to make friends and, honestly, most of the greatest fun we’ve ever had has been in helping folks who care to do something good.
It’s meaningful. It matters. Folks could really use our support.
Thank you for all the good you do. We love to hear about your favorite organizations.
