The NYC Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgment to some of NYC metro’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.  The launch of the Inaugural NYC event in 2021 drew over 200 of the sector’s top nonprofits and corporate leadership to the hybrid event. Click here to watch the 2021 Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards  This year’s event is expected to be even larger.

With nearly 250 applications submitted, the 20 finalists have been named!  $5,000 grants will be awarded in each of the following categories: Social Impact, Innovation, Arts & Culture, Rising Star, and Leadership Excellence. 501(c)(3) organizations located in and/or serving The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and/or Staten Island were eligible to apply. The 20 finalists receive a free promotional video that is debuted at the event and the winner in each category will be announced LIVE on Tuesday, October 18, 2022, at Guastavino’s, 409 E. 59th St., NY, NY.  WABC-TV reporter Sonia Rincón will serve as MC. More information about the finalists, sponsorship opportunities, and ticket information can be found here www.NYCimagineawards.com. 

“The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support the NYC Imagine Awards Arts & Culture Award,” said Foundation President Peter J. Klein. “Claire Friedlander recognized the importance of celebrating the creation of art and the critical role philanthropy plays in our society. By supporting arts organizations, we sustain their legacies for future generations,” said Klein.

The 2nd Annual NYC Imagine Awards Finalists are: 

Aetna Rising Star Award

• Harlem Grown
• Legal Information for Families Today
• National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City, Inc.
• Young New Yorkers

Alliant Retirement Consulting Leadership Excellence Award

• Association to Benefit Children – Gretchen Buchenholz, Executive Director
• Avenues for Justice, Inc. (AFJ) – Angel Rodriguez, Co-Founder & Executive Director
• Exponents – Joseph Turner, JD, President & CEO
• The Campaign Against Hunger (TCAH) – Dr. Melony Samuels, CEO & Founder

Cerini & Associates, LLP Social Impact Award

• New York Common Pantry
• Project Renewal
• The Ali Forney Center
• Win (Women in Need, Inc.)

OneGroup Innovation Award

• Project Renewal
• RIP Medical Debt
• YAI, Inc.
• Youth INC

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award

• Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE)
• Education Through Music
• National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath)
• Omnium Circus

About The Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 on Long Island by Ken Cerini Managing Partner of Cerini & Associates, LLP.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Imagine Awards recognize outstanding performances in the Community. The NYC Imagine Awards recognizes outstanding nonprofit performances in the region. 2022 will represent the 2nd Annual event in NYC. Learn more about the NYC Imagine Awards, visit www.NYCimagineawards.com.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation recognized the significance of filmmaker Lisa Hepner’s vision to document the scientific research via stem cell therapy to cure type 1 diabetes and proudly supported production of The Human Trial, a feature-length documentary with unprecedented, real-time access to one of America’s top labs — ViaCyte in San Diego. This groundbreaking film follows the team’s triumphs and failures in the lab as they attempt to make medical history at a landmark clinical trial in 2015.

More than 90 years after the discovery of insulin, ViaCyte has received FDA approval to launch the first ever-human trial of a stem-cell derived treatment that might cure type 1 diabetes. ViaCyte’s trial is only the third ever in the US, and the sixth ever in the world to use embryonic stem cell therapy to cure a disease.  Hepner, a type 1 diabetic for 25 years, collaborated with her husband cinematographer husband, Guy Mossman, to produce a film capturing how science, commerce and politics intersect and to show that science is anything but sterile. 

Lisa Hepner chronicles the genesis of the film and what the funding from the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation has meant to the production. “In 2011, my husband Guy Mossman and I heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes, a disease that shockingly kills over five million people each year. Driven by a desire to find a cure for my own type 1 diabetes (T1D), we were given unprecedented access to a groundbreaking clinical trial – only the sixth ever stem cell trial in the world. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who risk everything to be first, said Hepner.

“Support from The Claire Friedlander Foundation always came at critical junctures in production,” says Hepner. “When we needed to finance our trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for example, the CFFF was there so we could capture the importance of raising foreign money for cure research in the U.S., and to show there’s a better way.” Hepner continued “when we needed to check in once per month with the two patients we profiled in the clinical trial at the U. of Minnesota, a grant from the CFFF enabled us to do so. We truly could not have made this film without their support.”

Peter J. Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, said “the foundation supported The Human Trial to help shine a light on serious reality of living with diabetes and how scientific breakthroughs are not only possible but probable. “It is especially thrilling to see the film come to fruition and to share it with the world,” said Klein.

The film will premiere in New York City on June 23^rd with release at select theaters nationwide on June 24^th.   For tickets and information visit www.thehumantrial.com

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.

For more information visit https://www.hmtcli.org/

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.”

For more information https://imagineawardsli.com/

The 2022 Long Island Imagine Awards Winners are:

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

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 School Students 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.

Apply online here or submit your essay and nominator letter email to: Emily Wortmann – Friedlander Award at emilywortmann@hmtcli.org

TO APPLY:

• 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.

• Deadline is Friday, April 1, 2022. For more information visit https://www.hmtcli.org/friedlanderaward

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.

For additional information and to register to attend in person or virtually visit https://www.stonybrookhillel.org/ju2022

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 10^th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards imagineawardsli.com  and the 2nd Annual event in NYC,  NYCimagineawards.com.

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
• Nonprofit Resource Hub Innovation Award – Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC)
• 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.

Click here to view the NYC Imagine Awards

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.

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.”

To learn more about how you can help visit https://alliedfoundation.org/give/donate-diapers/