Winners to Be Announced on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at the Edison Ballroom

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to support the expansion of the Imagine Awards into New York City. The success of the Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 8th 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 Inaugural NYC Imagine Awards nonprofit competition will take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at The Edison Ballroom, 6-10pm. This event was created to formally acknowledge some of NYC’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. $5,000 grants will be awarded in the following categories: Cerini & Associates Award for Social Impact, Innovation, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Award for Arts & Culture, Rising Star, and Leadership Excellence.

Claire Friedlander Family Foundation President Peter J. Klein states “We’ve enjoyed recognizing the significant cultural contributions the Long Island organizations have made to the community and we are looking forward to the NYC event in October.” “The arts provide substantial richness to society and it’s exciting to recognize and reward this important facet of the nonprofit landscape,” said Klein.

501(c)(3) organizations located in and serving The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and/or Staten Island are eligible to apply. The 20 finalists receive a free promotional video that is debuted at the event and the winner in each category is announced LIVE. The application deadline is Friday, May 8, 2020 and more information can be found here www.NYCImagineawards.com.

The mission at Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSCW) is to transform the last remaining laboratory of inventor Nikola Tesla into a museum and global science center that empowers people through education and entrepreneurship and continues Tesla’s legacy of innovation and humanitarianism.

The Claire Friedlander Foundation is pleased to support this mission in ways that are having a real impact. Innovative new education programs are reaching more students and educators, both locally and globally. Teslamania, a day-long event in which teachers presented their most successful science projects, was broadcast around the world and recorded to provide a real-world tool for learning. Funding from the foundation has also enabled TSCW to take STEAM to the next level by funding educational events that focus on experiential, experimental learning for all ages. This includes Tesla Tech Art Camp, a week-long program that explored the inventive and creative process with remarkable results; attendees created draw-bots, electric circuit sculptures, sound and vibration art, and “inventions” that they pitched in an entrepreneurial presentation. Their elementary school programs go beyond traditional rote learning with interactive classes like Fun with Forces, Magic with Magnets, Super Circuits and more. In addition, the foundation also supports year-long events and exhibits at TSCW that inspire and educate thousands of people around the globe; these feature hands-on exhibits, educational talks, arts and history that promote innovation and betterment of humanity as exemplified by Nikola Tesla.

Foundation President Peter J. Klein states “in addition to education programs for students, we are excited to fund the development of resources and support for entrepreneurs, business start-ups and technologists. There is a great need for programs that provide opportunity for STEAM entrepreneurs who are challenged to develop and fund their work.” Klein says, “Together, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and TSCW are working to transform lives by giving people the resources and opportunity to achieve their goals and dreams.”

 https://teslasciencecenter.org/

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is pleased to have awarded a grant to Temple Beth El, Huntington, NY, to help fund a new, state-of-the-art kitchen that will better meet the growing nutritional needs of the Huntington community.

Throughout the year, Temple Beth El provides sustenance and respite to those in need through various programs such as:
• Project HOPE (Helping Other People Eat)
• H.I.H.I. (Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative)
• Thanksgiving Dinner, Spaghetti Dinner and Summer Barbeque
• Community Food Pantry

Rabbi Jeffrey Clopper states, “we believe in the Jewish Tradition of Tikkun Olam, the moral obligation to help make the world a better place.” “We are very thankful to be recognized by The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation for their generous grant so we can continue to ‘feed the hungry’ and help make a positive difference in our community.”

To learn more about Temple Beth El, click here https://www.tbeli.org/

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support Smile Farms, the signature philanthropic partner of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. Created by Jim McCann, Founder and Chairman, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. and the McCann Family, Smile Farms is a leader in creating solutions for the problem of unemployment among young adults and adults with developmental disabilities. Smile Farms has grown from one campus employing 30 people to 8 campuses employing over 140 people. Plants, flowers and fresh produce from Smile Farms locations are sold in a variety of venues in the communities where campuses are located; are used in partner organizations’ kitchens; and are donated to local nonprofits serving people in need.

Peter J. Klein, President, The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, says “by engaging young adults and adults with disabilities with an employment opportunity that not only offers them skills and a satisfying job, but ultimately, feeding those in need, Smile Farms has a created a winning formula. The Foundation is pleased to support their important mission.”

In collaboration with Northwell Health, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, Skills Unlimited, and FREE, a Mobile Farmers Market also serves underserved populations across Long Island with Smile Farms produce. It is the only Mobile Market on Long Island enrolled in the NYS Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). For more information about Smile Farms, visit www.smilefarms.org

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation and The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC) annually honor middle school, high school and college students on Long Island who confront intolerance, prejudice or other forms of social injustice. The 9th Annual Friedlander Upstander Award, presented by HMTC and the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in conjunction with the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments, is awarded to Nassau and Suffolk middle and high school students who have acted as Upstanders against bullying or intolerance in any of its forms. This year 115 applications were received from high school and middle school students from across Long Island – an all-time record. The winners of the $2,500 scholarships are featured in the photo below.

For more information, call (516) 571-8040, visit HMTC’s website, http://www.hmtcli.org, or find them on social media at Facebook.com/HMTCNY and Twitter.com/HolocaustTolCtr

One of the most exciting parts of the Long Island Imagine Awards nonprofit awards competition are the finalist videos that are debuted live at the event. Foundation President Peter J. Klein introduces the finalists in The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award category. Congratulations to Bay Street Theater who was awarded the $5,000 grant at the ceremony on April 30, 2019. Over 450 of Long Island’s top nonprofit and corporate leaders were in attendance.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Finalists

• Bay Street Theater – WINNER
• Gold Coast Arts Center
• Hofstra University Museum of Art
• Nassau County Museum of Art

Click here to view The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture finalist videos

Click here to view the winner’s videos for social impact, innovation, rising star and leadership excellence

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to continue to support the 7th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019, 6-9:30pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY.  Over 450 of the region’s top nonprofit executives, volunteers and corporate sponsors attended this gala event which was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations.

Over 170 nonprofit applications were submitted to win $5,000 grants in each of 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 as well as a Fan Favorite was awarded the grant LIVE at the awards ceremony. The winners are:

Cerini & Associates Social Impact Award

• Island Harvest Food Bank

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award

• Bay Street Theater

Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award

• Dr. Ellenmorris Tiegerman, Executive Director & CEO, Tiegerman

Empire National Bank Innovation Award

• Paws of War

Vanguard Insurance Agency Rising Star Award

• Helping Makes U Happy, Inc.

Nerds That Care Fan Favorite Award

• Helping Makes U Happy, Inc.

Applications for the April 28, 2020 gala will open early September 2019. For more information on the winners visit https://ceriniandassociates.com/long-island-imagine-awards/

The W Connection was created by widows to equip other widows with the knowledge and skills they will need to rebuild their lives so they become and/or remain financially independent and lead fulfilling and productive lives after the loss of their spouses. The W Connection’s programs and services are based in the fact that widows can best help other widows navigate the many challenges they face while dealing with their grief by getting them Connected, Encouraged, Educated and Empowered to adapt to the new realities created by their loss.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation is proud to support The W Connection with a grant that has made possible the build out of their ONLINE PORTAL which offers informational resources to widows across the United States. There are over 11 million widows in the United States and the portal is a step to supporting every widow that needs our help. The ONLINE PORTAL allows widows to GET ENCOURAGED from other widows via shared stories of hope and coping strategies. It also allows widows to GET EDUCATED via sharing of resources important to widows like financial, legal, health and wellness and family support information. For more information visit https://widowsconnection.org/

In 2018, the Claire Friedlander Family Foundation was able to provide over $900,000 to over 50 nonprofits. The scope of support we’ve offered spanned scholarship awards for student leaders, disability employment awareness, science and learning, tolerance, education and arts and culture. Each project we supported shared a common thread – the spirit of our grantor – with a mindfulness towards impact, effectiveness and sustainability.

We enjoy a partnership with our grantees, enabling us to track the progress of our support and to see the change made possible by investing in a cause. The needle doesn’t move on its own however, so therefore we want to acknowledge the hardworking staff of these nonprofit agencies, who, without fanfare or fluff, work tirelessly to bring their visions to reality and affect change for the communities they serve.

We hope you will be inspired to volunteer or donate to a worthy nonprofit in 2019 as what you get back is far greater than one can ever give.

The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, in partnership with The Corporate Source, a Garden City-based nonprofit that creates employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, honored James Denson, a paralegal with disabilities who helps disabled clients with their Social Security benefit appeals, with the 2^nd Annual National Disabilities Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) Champion Award.  Recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce, The Corporate Source invited prominent Long Island businesses to nominate an employee with a disability who they believed should be chosen as a NDEAM Champion among Long Island employers.

Denson, a Hempstead resident, who has cerebral palsy and overcame stuttering, was nominated for the distinction by Jeffrey Seigel, executive director of Nassau Suffolk Law Services, where Denson has worked for 27 years.  Seigel praised his devotion to the work he does with clients, some of whom have psychiatric impairments.

Judges selected Denson from a pool of 10 applicants as a testament to his accomplishments, tenure and tenacity. For more information click here

“The Claire Friedlander Family Foundation supports the work of the work of The Corporate Source for providing dignity through employment opportunities to those who might otherwise be marginalized for a disability,” said foundation President Peter J. Klein.