The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation was pleased to provide a $20,000 grant that funded $5,000 scholarships to the essay winners in the 12th Annual Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Upstander Award competition held on Monday 16, 2022 at Westbury Manor. The foundation, in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County in Glen Cove (HMTC) annually honor middle school and high school students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice or other forms of social injustice. Each of the award winners has demonstrated through their daily choices how they are Upstanders.
Due to the rise of hate speech, hate crimes, and bullying on Long Island and nationally, those who make a difference in their schools and communities by acting as Upstanders are more important than ever. HMTC defines an Upstander as a person who stands up for others and does not allow bigotry, hatred, or intolerance to happen without intercession. The student’s action could be one of intervention or prevention, big or small.
“The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County, is proud to acknowledge and award four remarkable Long Island students with the 2022 Upstander Awards,” said the foundation’s president and treasurer, Peter J. Klein. “Claire Friedlander was a Holocaust survivor who with her parents was saved by a righteous family. I know Claire would be incredibly proud of these student role models in our community who are leading by example.”
Those who applied needed to be enrolled in a Middle School or High School on Long Island needed a brief nomination letter from a teacher, guidance counselor, or have another adult who is not a family member and wrote a five-hundred-word essay on what actions they have taken that make them Upstanders.
L-R: Irene Klein of the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, Sean Lobo of Saxton Middle School, Emma Kelly of Oyster Bay High School, Gianna Cook of John Glenn High School, Lauren Zweback of Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School, Peter Klein of the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and board member of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.
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LI Imagine Awards Winners Announced
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to continue our support of the 10th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards which was held on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 as a hybrid event, with almost 400 guests in attendance and a live stream simulcast of the event. The Imagine Awards were created to offer formal acknowledgment to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. Nearly 150 nonprofit applications were submitted to win $5,000 grants in each of five categories: Arts & Culture, Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, and Social Impact with an additional $3,000 Fan Favorite award and $1,000 participant choice award presented live at the event. Of this pool of worthy applicants, 20 were selected as finalists and one in each category was announced as the winner.
“We are proud and active members of the Long Island nonprofit community and supporters of the Imagine Awards from its inception when we began as a sponsor of the Rising Star category,” said foundation President Peter J. Klein. “In recognition of Claire’s deep appreciation for all things artistic, we moved on to sponsor the Arts & Culture Award category when it was created in 2017.”
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award
The Eglevsky Ballet
Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award
Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY
The Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award
Harmony Heights, Kathryn Nastri, LCSW, Executive Director
Flushing Bank Innovation Award
Family Service League
Vanguard Insurance Agency Rising Star Award
Andrew McMorris Foundation
Nerds That Care Fan Favorite Award
Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck
Participant Choice Award
Long Island Children’s Museum
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Are You An Upstander?
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in partnership with the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC,) is pleased to make possible a $5,000 Award for Middle and High SchoolStudents on Long Island who exemplify what it means to be an “upstander.”
HMTC defines an Upstander as a person who stands up for others, and does not allow bigotry, hatred, or intolerance to happen without intercession. Every year we honor middle and high school students from across Long Island who have demonstrated the actions of an Upstander.
• Teachers: Must write a brief nomination letter about what makes your student/students Upstanders. If you are a teacher, please include the name of the student, school, and grade. • Students: Must write a 500 word essay on what makes you an Upstander using the essay prompt: “I have demonstrated the actions of an Upstander by…” If you are a student, Please include your name, grade, and school. Attach your recommendation or essay to the email.
Jewish University For A Day at Stony Brook University
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is a lead sponsor of the upcoming Jewish University For A Day at Stony Brook University, Sunday, March 27, 2022. Now entering its 11th year, Jewish University is a day-long series of courses and mini-presentations that brings together academics, authors, rabbis, diplomats, journalists and other experts around Jewish themes. The event attracts several hundred members of the public and is sponsored by the Stony Brook campus Hillel with proceeds supporting Jewish student life on campus. This year, the foundation will be the named sponsor, in particular, for a session on worldwide efforts to reclaim looted Nazi art presented by Jewish Museum Associate Curator Sam Sackeroff.
Foundation President Peter J. Klein said “supporting the conversation around Jewish life is important to the foundation as Claire Friedlander was a Holocaust survivor and dedicated her life to tolerance education.” “Stony Brook University’s Jewish University For A Day is an excellent forum to further explore the past, the present and opportunities for the future,” said Klein.
The nonprofit finalists have been selected and winners of the 10th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards will be announced LIVE at a hybrid event on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 from 6-10pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY. This gala event was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. Over 150 nonprofit applications were submitted to win a $5,000 grant in five categories: Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact and Arts and Culture. Of this pool of worthy applicants, 20 were selected as finalists and one in each category will be awarded the grant during the LIVE awards ceremony on April 26, 2022.
“We are proud and active members of the Long Island nonprofit community and supporters of the Imagine Awards from its inception when we began as a sponsor of the Rising Star category, said Peter Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation. We moved on to support the Arts & Culture Category in 2017 in recognition of Claire’s deep appreciation for all things artistic.
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award
Bay Street Theater
Gold Coast Arts Center & International Film Festival
Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc.
The Eglevsky Ballet
Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award
Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY
EPIC Long Island
Options for Community Living, Inc.
YES Community Counseling Center
The Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award
Long Island Children’s Museum, Aimee Terzulli, Director of Education
Mercy Haven, Inc., John Castellano, Attorney in Charge and Director of the Mercy Advocacy Program
RISE Life Services, Charles Evdos, Executive Director of RISE Life Services
Harmony Heights, Kathryn Nastri, LCSW, Executive Director
Flushing Bank Innovation Award
East End Food Institute
ELIJA Transitional Programs & Services (TPS)
The Viscardi Center
Family Service League
Vanguard Insurance Agency Rising Star Award
Andrew McMorris Foundation
Birthday Wishes of Long Island
Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck
Friends of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Suffolk (also known as Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Suffolk County or RSVP Suffolk)
Ticket and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.imagineawardsli.com. For additional information contact Hillary Needle at Hillary@Hillaryneedleevents.com, 516-993-4056.
About The Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 on Long Island by Managing Partner, Ken Cerini of Cerini & Associates, LLP. Honoring nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Imagine Awards recognize outstanding performances in the sector. 2022 will represent the 10th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards imagineawardsli.com and the 2nd Annual event in NYC, NYCimagineawards.com.
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INAUGURAL NYC IMAGINE AWARDS
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to support the Arts & Culture Award category for the Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards. This event was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of NYC metro’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. The success of the Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 10th year, inspired founder Ken Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates LLP, to bring this innovative and inspiring event to NYC to shine a spotlight on the incredible nonprofits in and around the City. The winner in each category was announced LIVE at the awards gala on Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at the Edison Ballroom. Crystal Cranmore, WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News Race and Culture Reporter served as Emcee.
$5,000 grants were awarded in the following categories: Social Impact, Innovation, Arts & Culture, Rising Star, and Leadership Excellence. More than 270 501(c)(3) organizations located in and/or serving The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and/or Staten Island submitted applications. Of this pool of worthy applicants, 20 were selected as finalists and one in each category was announced as the winner. The 2021 NYC Imagine Awards Winners are:
Aetna Rising Star Award – ALD Alliance
Alliant Leadership Excellence Award – Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS) – Rachel Lloyd CMG, Founder and CEO
Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award – City Harvest
Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award – Museum of the City of New York
Cerini & Associates Fan Favorite Award – FABSCRAP, Inc.
“Supporting and investing in arts and culture organizations was important to our founder, Claire Friedlander, so it’s natural that the foundation continue this outreach on her behalf. The Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards is a perfect vehicle to connect with and promote NYC’s world-class arts and culture nonprofits,” said foundation President Peter J. Klein.
(L-R) NYC Imagine Awards founder Kenneth Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates, LLP, Keith Butler, Vice President, Development, Museum of the City of New York, Peter J. Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation.
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Invest in Others
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support the 2021 Grants for Change program on behalf of the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation (“Invest in Others”,) a nonprofit dedicated to furthering and amplifying the charitable work of financial professionals and their firms. Invest in Others has awarded $200,000 to eight charities as part of its second-annual Grants for Change program, which provides critical funding to organizations that uplift underserved communities. These nonprofits are working to create and enhance opportunities for communities of color, providing essential services to causes such as social justice, employment and education—with the goal of leveling the playing field and providing life-changing opportunities to underserved communities. The grant recipients include:
• Change Happens! for Good Life Outcomes (Houston, Tex.) • Coleman A. Young II Educational Foundation for CAY2 Girls in STEM (Detroit, Mich.) • EDsnaps for STEAM City of Women Leadership Development (New York City) • Girls Inspired and Ready to Lead, Inc. for Pathways to Career Leadership Program (Fairfax, Va.) • Korean American Community Foundation-San Francisco for No Room for Hate (Oakland, Calif.) • Lake Worth West Resident Planning Group, Inc. for Post-Pandemic Economic Stability for Women of Color (Lake Worth, Fla.) • Wine to Water for Indigenous Peoples & Nations Program (Navajo Nation) • Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation for Scholarships for Education (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Peter J. Klein, President of the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is also the Chief Investment Officer and Founder of ALINE Wealth. Klein is highly aware of the importance charitable giving as an investment in humanity. “The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, as a legacy agent, frames our giving in the spirit of our grantor – and does so with a mindfulness towards impact, effectiveness and sustainability. We serve to partner with our grantees and fellow philanthropic leaders in a fashion that promotes collaboration and transformation,” said Klein. “We believe that, in its most elegant form, we are investors – investing in the nonprofits we support – and in doing so pay special attention to these “investments” to insure they flourish and achieve their objectives,” he said.
The Invest in Others Charitable Foundation was founded in 2006 by financial advisors who invest in their communities. Since inception, it has provided more than $3M to over 300 charities across a myriad of causes to include health and wellness, education and youth programs, arts and culture, hunger and poverty prevention, military and veterans and more. For additional information visit investinothers.org.
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Allied Foundation Diaper Bank
The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to support the work of the Allied Foundation whose mission to improve the health and well-being of people in the community, specifically by ending diaper need. Our grant to the Allied Foundation Diaper Bank will help provide immediate relief to struggling local families in the form of supplying 40,000 diapers and wipes to communities across Long Island.
Disposable diapers, an essential need, can cost $80 per month, per baby, up to 14% of a low-income family’s income. When these families suffer from diaper need, the physical, emotional and financial impacts can be devastating. Without access to clean, dry diapers, some families resort to unsafe diapering practices including reusing soiled diapers and leaving them on for extended periods of time resulting in infection, rash and poor health outcomes.
“No child should suffer for a lack of clean diapers,” said foundation President Peter Klein. “As diapers are not recognized as a basic or essential need by the government, programs such as SNAP, WIC or Medicaid do not allocate funding specifically for their purchase,” said Klein. We hope that our support of the good work of the Allied Foundation Diaper Bank inspires others to do so as well.”
(L-R) Allied Foundation Executive Director Heather Edwards with Claire Friedlander Family Foundation President Peter J. Klein.
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Peter Klein Honored at Life’s WORC Golf Classic
Life’s WORC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism through its residential, community and trust services, recently held its 33rd Annual Geraldo Rivera Golf Classic at the Old Westbury Golf and Country Club, New York. The event co-honorees were Peter J. Klein, CFA, CRPS, CAP, Chief Investment Officer and Founder of ALINE Wealth and President of the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and E. Christopher Murray, Esq., Partner with the law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, PC. All proceeds from the event went directly to supporting children and adults with intellectual challenges, developmental disabilities and autism throughout Long Island, Queens, and Manhattan. This is Life’s WORC’s 50th anniversary. The Celebrate 50! Campaign was kicked off at the Golf Classic.
“It’s especially meaningful to me to be recognized, along with my distinguished co-honoree Chris Murray, at the Life’s WORC 50th anniversary event. I’ve been a longtime supporter of the organization and it’s important work,” said Peter Klein.
L-R Life’s WORC CEO Janet Koch and Board Chair Lynne Koufakis with Co-Honoree Peter Klein. Photo Credit: Life’s WORC
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Life’s WORC Honoring Peter Klein
Peter J. Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and Chief Investment Officer & Founder ALINE Wealth will be honored at the upcoming 33rd Annual Geraldo Rivera Golf Classic benefitting Life’s WORC and The Family Center for Autism. Peter is joined by co-honoree E. Christopher Murray, Esq., Partner, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, PC. The outing is scheduled for Monday, May 17, 2021 at Old Westbury Golf & Country Club.
Life’s WORC is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that supports over 2,000 people with developmental disabilities and autism through Residential and Community Services, The Family Center for Autism, and Life’s WORC Trust Services.
This year, Life’s WORC is proud to “Celebrate 50,” commemorating fifty years of making a difference in the lives people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Life’s WORC has impacted thousands of individuals and families over their 50-year history. I am proud to serve on their board of directors and to lead the charge with my co-honoree at the upcoming golf outing,” said Klein. “It’s been enlightening to see, first-hand, how they care for and advocate on behalf of people with developmental disabilities.”
