PATHways Newsletter.pub - NAMI

August/September 2010 NAMI Queens/Nassau PATHways Page 4
A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Made the Long
Island/Queens NAMIWalks Such a Big Success!
What a great day! This year’s walk was
truly a celebration and the spirit was infectious
as we greeted long time supporters,
made new friends, and congratulated one
another on the real strides we’re making in
changing the face of mental illness. There
are so many people to thank for making
the 6th Annual NAMIWalks for the Mind
of America such a special day.
NAMIWalks Sponsors - Thanks to all
our fabulous sponsors. (For a complete list
go to www.nami.org/namiwalk/ny/
longisland)
NAMI Queens/Nassau Walk Partners
– Kudos to NAMIWalks co-sponsors,
North Shore-LIJ Health System Zucker
Hillside Hospital and their CEO, Joe
Schulman for their great support. Many
thanks to Zucker for being our top sponsor
and fundraiser. Their Zucker Hillside super
team raised over $19,000. We are so grateful!
Also, a special thank you to Deb
Mayo, team captain of the Central Suffolk
Crusaders, for involving so many Suffolk
County mental health agencies in the walk.
NAMIWalks Behind the Scenes Team
- Hats off to our NAMIWalks staff, including
HJMT’s Kristie Galvani, our NAMI-
Walks manager, who did so much to inspire
great fundraising this year; Cheryl
Fischetti for giving us such wonderful office
support; Amy Lax for all the super
publicity; Chrissy Thornton, NAMI National
Walk manager, for urging us ever
onward. A huge thank you to our Walk
Day Team led by Al Dunlop and Larry
Kenny, with Jessyca Berkman, Gloria
Cohen, Rich De Martino, Sheila Gaeckler,
Liz Reilly, Eugene Valkov, Ted Vecchio,
and Bob Woods, for all the great behind
the scenes planning, organizing, and walk
day help. A special thank you to John
Shorter, who joined our team this year and
was a godsend with hanging banners, setup
and take-down. Thank you, too, to
Bruce Cohen, who was so helpful with setup
walk morning. Also a big thank you as
always to Gloria Cohen and the Meadowbrook
Women’s Initiative (formerly the
Brandees), who get us all those wonderful
volunteers every year for registration. We
couldn’t do it without you!
Music & Sound - Kudos to Jessyca
Berkman and Eugene Valkov for getting
us such wonderful bands and sound. Our
gratitude to super bands Big Daddy & the
Bulldogs and Breakaway for donating their
time and exceptional talent, courtesy of the
Long Island Blues Society. They really
rocked! Thanks to Gloria Cohen for getting
us an amazingly talented high school
band, Lazy Bird. Hats off to J & H Production
for great sound. It couldn’t have been
better. Drumming by Gaia Drum Ministry,
thanks to Sharon Nanos and Sheila Gaeckler,
was a special treat on the walk route.
Food & Drink – Great snacks, drinks,
and water, and all of it donated by local
stores - Whole Foods of Manhasset;
Costco of Westbury; Pat’s Farm of North
Merrick, Stop & Shop, North Bellmore.
Special thanks to NS-LIJ Zucker Hillside
Hospital for supplying apples and snacks
at registration. And thanks as always to
Friendly’s, who once again treated the first
1500 walkers to hot dogs, hamburgers, and
drinks.
Media & Theatre – Thanks to News 12
for publicizing the walk. It really helped!
Angela Anton for those wonderful fullpage
ads in Anton Community News. We
really appreciate the great top of the column
and front page coverage we got in
Anton’s Healthy Living Section. Thank
you, Dan Rosset! Many thanks to Cablevisions’s
Neighborhood Journal for covering
the walk and spending so much time with
us. A special thank you to Tom D’Ambrosio,
publicist for Next to Normal for the
free tickets and the opportunity to speak to
cast members. Your show means so much
to us!
Artwork – Recovery Panels by SAIL,
FEGS, and Mercy Haven Horizon PROS
were inspirational artistic creations. Signs
for bands, food, etc. were beautifully designed
by the multi-talented Jessyca Berkman.
Face painting by Teddy Wegner and
her clown partners added to the fun of the
day.
Warm-up – A high intensity warm-up
courtesy of Esther Feldman of Sport Time
Pro Health Fitness, led by our very own
Gloria Keyloun, was incredibly energizing
and got the walk off to a great start.
NAMIWalks Heroes – Our heartfelt
thanks to those special team captains and/
or individuals who raised $2,500 or more.
(In alphabetical order.)
Jerry Chang/Anoopinder Singh, Zippy
Zuckers
Alice Cohen, The Friendship Network A
-Team
Gloria Cohen, Meadowbrook Women’s
Initiative
Denise Coscia/Tara Mandel, ZHH Racing
Researchers
Teri Herzog/Lin Kaplan, Our 2 Sons
Dr. Isak Isakov, Jamaica Hospital
Medical Center
Lorraine Kaplan, Breaking the Silence
Al Landau, Randi’s Cyclones
Linda Manzo, Silent No More: Weber
Cares
Deb Mayo, NAMI Central Suffolk Crusaders
Lynne McGrail, Don’t Just Talk..Walk
Diane Nisito, Shawn’s Soldiers
Andrea Perkins, Hofstra Rehab Counseling
Rocks
Janet Reilly, P.A.M. ( Parents Against
Mental Illness)
Janet Susin, Breaking the Silence
Ted Vecchio, NAMI Queens/Nassau
Carol Ann Viccora, Tina Marie’s Hope
Ruth Wolosoff, Breaking the Silence
NAMIWalks Stars – Finally a big
thank you to all those who met the goal of
$1,000 we set for every team. You made
it!
Linda Barone, ZHH Day Steppers
Jessicamarie Brennan, Family and Children’s
Association
Sandie Biondi, ZHH Racing Researchers
Kieran Cassilli, Shawn’s Soilders
Bruce Cohen, The “A” Team
Carmine DeSena, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric
Rehabilitation
Evan Feuer, ZHH Dept Of Psychiatric
Rehabilitation
Barbara Garner, The “A” Team
Judith Gold, The Karen Team
Janine Haynes, The Straight Jackets
Maria Karamitsos, Hillside Highsteppers
Ken Klassert, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric
Rehabilitation
Lisa Lumia, ZHH Dept of Psychiatric
Rehabilitation
(Continued on page 5)