Daniel Gale’s Gail Holman, Guidance Center Board Member Tracey Kupferberg and Guidance Center Board President Nancy Lane

Roslyn Heights, NY, September 22, 2017 — On Tuesday evening September 19th, North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center hosted a fundraiser for its Children’s Center at Nassau County Family Court.  The event, which was held at Tesoro’s Ristorante Cucini Italiana at 967 Old Country Road in Westbury, featured wonderful entertainment by musician and soul crooner Paul Loren, along with cocktails and a delicious buffet. 

The event raised over $12,000 for operating the Children’s Center, which provides care and early learning to almost 2,000 children annually, ages 6 weeks – 12 years, while their parents or guardians are conducting court business.

“The Children Center is not a babysitting service,” explains Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, Director of The Leeds Place (under which the Children’s Center operates). “It is an early learning center.  Often this is a child’s first exposure to an early learning environment. Every aspect of the Center promotes learning by which the children can explore new things in a safe, structured and professionally supervised setting.”

Guidance Center Executive Director Andrew Malekoff, Children’s Center volunteer Allison Cacace, event co-chair John Zenir, Leeds Place Director Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust and event co-chair Bob Mangi.

Dr. Taylor-Walthrust also thanked all of the Children’s Center volunteers. “We have only two full-time staff members, and we are required to have two adults present at the Center for it to be open. We could never provide the level of service that we do without these dedicated volunteers.” She also acknowledged Laurie Joseph-Yehuda and Rene Joseph, the daughter and widow of the late Honorable Burton S. Joseph, founder of the Children’s Center, who were also in attendance.  Laurie is a new member of the Children’s Center Advisory Council and Rene painted a beautiful mural on the wall of the Children’s Center many years ago.

Andrew Malekoff, Executive Director of the Guidance Center, thanked event co-chairs Bob Mangi, Esq. and John Zenir, Esq., P.C., as well as Allison Cacace, a volunteer for the Children’s Center who was instrumental in coordinating the event for the second year in a row. “This fundraiser is critical for the Children’s Center, as funds for it have been drastically cut over the years, though we have been able to keep it open full time,” says Malekoff.

The fundraiser was sponsored by an array of local law firms and other businesses, including Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP, DiMascio & Associates, LLP, Gassman Baiamonte Gruner, P.C., Mangi & Graham, LLP, the Pessala Family, and In Memory of Hon. Burton S. Joseph.