Bethany House’s 21st Annual Fashion Show
Photo Gallery!
Bethany House Connection: March 2024
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| A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.” ~Walt Disney Bethany House has always been fond of the crocus flower. It may be because it is the first hope of spring that blooms from the ground while the dirt is still thawing from the cold New York winter. Or perhaps it is the rich purple color it boasts. Either way, I can’t help but feel a deep connection between the guests we support at Bethany House and the crocus flower. Triumphantly pushing through cold, harsh conditions to bloom into a vibrant, strong and beautiful flower. The crocus reminds us that no matter how harsh the winter, spring always returns. We are passionate about providing those who turn to us in a time of need with the support and resources to bloom and to come into their spring, and we thank you for all of your support for us to do so. With gratitude,  Katie Swanson, Executive Director  MENTAL HEALTH LIVES ON A CONTINUUM AND WE ARE ALL IMPACTED…WE ALL HAVE A STORY Our guests, like many Americans, struggle with mental health challenges. Awareness, training and treatment is not always easy. There is often a stigma, fear or reluctance to accept such help, though beneficial for all- and crucial for so many. To begin breaking down those walls, Bethany House has partnered with David Hymowitz from Same Here to create a carefully tailored mental health awareness program for our guests. The program focuses on normalizing mental health awareness, in the hopes that the guests become more receptive to therapy, treatment and training. David has begun the program and continues to roll it out and expand it in our various homes. Our guests have been fully engaged and enjoying his trainings. David has a way about him that brings people together and comfortable. The sessions continue to bring enlightenment to our guests in many ways. It is wonderful to see so much important growth in our guests from his trainings. A BEAUTIFUL STARRY NIGHT It might have been rainy outside, but inside it was bright and starry on Wednesday, March 6th at the Rockville Links Club for the 21st Annual Bethany House Fashion Show. The venue was bustling with laughter and chatter from our supportive event-goers, volunteers, staff and special guests. Long-time Bethany House Board Member and volunteer, Lancelot Theobald Jr., graciously served as emcee for the evening and the fabulous fashion show. Many generous sponsors provided a room full of amazing raffle baskets, that the guests were excited to win. The fashion show featured eight women, who have each helped Bethany House with their time, talents and treasures, showcasing outfits donated by Bloomingdales. The outfits were as eclectic as the models themselves and showcased their internal and external beauty. Aside from the gorgeous fashions- those who attended said one of the highlights was the guest speaker, Hailey Seelig. She is a former guest, who spoke about how Bethany House supported her and her mother throughout the years, and helped her achieve her goals of attending college. She is a freshman at the University at Albany in a pre-medicine program! Thank you, Hailey, for sharing your heart-warming story, Bloomingdale’s for the amazing fashions, and to our wonderful supporters, staff and volunteers. Because of all of you, the event raised over $20,000! |
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| GETTING THERE WITH UBER When Bethany House Supporter Breece Wilson found out what a challenge transportation was for many of our guests, she sprang into action, reaching out to her reliable favorite, Uber . Within days, Uber responded and provided our organization with a very generous donation which will allow our guests easier access to appointments, important meetings and events. We are so thankful to Breece for her advocacy and would like to send a huge, heartfelt thank you to Uber! EXIST TO CREATE GOOD IN THE WORLD “We make a choice to see the good in every day – in the mirror, in each other, and in our communities. When we see the good that’s possible, together, we can create it.” – Kendra Scott And that is just what she is doing. Bethany House was the lucky beneficiary from not one but THREE shopping days at the store in the Roosevelt Field Mall, where a percentage of profits for that day were awarded to us. But that’s not all. Kendra Scott donated a beautiful raffle prize for our Fashion Show as well as a Mother’s Day gift for each and every one of our guests this year. Thank you, Kendra Scott ! |
 BETHANY HOUSE NAMED AS FINALIST IN12th ANNUAL LONG ISLAND IMAGINE AWARDS Long Island Imagine Awards Winners to Be Announced on Wednesday,May 1, 2024 at the Crest Hollow Country Club Baldwin, NY – Bethany House was named a Finalist in the Social Impact category in the 12th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards. The Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 12th year, was founded by Ken Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates LLP as a way to showcase the nonprofit sector and all the good work that it does, as well as provide opportunities for deeper collaboration within the sector. The gala event, scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 6-10pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY, provides unlimited networking and connection opportunities for the corporate and nonprofit sectors while highlighting the exceptional work of the finalist organizations. The 24 finalists, 4 in each category, receive a professionally produced video that is showcased the night of the event and two free tickets to attend. In addition, each finalist will receive $1,000 courtesy of Diamond Sponsor SterlingRisk Insurance and one in each category will be announced LIVE at the event. For more information visit https://imagineawardsli.com. “Being named a Finalist in The Long Island Imagine Awards is an important achievement,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards. “It means that the Organization has been identified as a leader on Long Island, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations. Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.” |
  LONG ISLAND PICKLEBALL PROS DO IT AGAIN! Frank Millilo and the Long Island Pickleball Pros came together for the 4th Annual Pickleball Tournament benefitting Bethany House. On Sunday, March 10th at the Rockville Centre Recreation Center, over 50 participants gathered for a warm-up, beginners clinic and tournament led by Frank and his crew who were informative and entertaining. Thank you Frank, Long Island Pickleball Pros and Gregoris Subaru of Valley Steam who sponsored the event. Fun was had by all! |
 VOTE BETHANY HOUSE A FAN FAVORITE! This Imagine Awards voting campaign gives our supporters a chance to vote daily using their email address for Bethany House to win!!(Please note the email addresses will not be saved or sent any follow-up emails,this is just so they can count votes.) The organization that receives the most votes by midnight on March 31st will be announced and honored during the Imagine Awards on May 1st and will receive a $3,000 check and recognition! Thank you for your support! VOTE TODAY! |
 WIN A TRIP TO IRELAND! Bethany House is thrilled to partner with Sceptre Vacations, in Rockville Centre, to offer our wonderful supporters a chance to win a luxury vacation for two (2) to Ireland. The Trip includes: Round trip air fare for two (2) from JFK to Dublin Six (6) nights hotel accommodations in a four-star hotel Hotel breakfast daily, except day of arrival Automatic car rental with CDW insurance Sightseeing and tours, including Guinness Store, Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry, Kilkenny Castle, and more! All hotel taxes, hotel services charges & porterage for one suitcase per person $100 per chance and chances are limited to only 200 chances! GET YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! |
BETHANY HOUSE OF NASSAU COUNTY NAMED AS FINALIST IN 12th ANNUAL LONG ISLAND IMAGINE AWARDS
Baldwin, NY – February 13, 2024 – Bethany House of Nassau County was named a Finalist in the Social Impact Award category in the 12th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards.
The Long Island Imagine Awards, now in its 12th year, was founded by Ken Cerini, CPA, Cerini & Associates LLP as a way to showcase the nonprofit sector and all the good work that it does, as well as provide opportunities for deeper collaboration within the sector. The gala event, scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 6-10pm at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY, provides unlimited networking and connection opportunities for the corporate and nonprofit sectors while highlighting the exceptional work of the finalist organizations. The 24 finalists, 4 in each category, receive a professionally produced video that is showcased the night of the event and two free tickets to attend. In addition, each finalist will receive $1,000 courtesy of Diamond Sponsor SterlingRisk Insurance and one in each category will be announced LIVE at the event. For more information visit https://imagineawardsli.com.
More than 150 nonprofit applications were submitted for consideration in six categories: Arts & Culture, Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Bethany House is one of four finalists in the Social Impact Award category.
“We are so thankful to be chosen as a finalist for an Imagine Award in the Social Impact category,” said Executive Director, Catherine Swanson. “With government funding and grants, Bethany House provides emergency shelter for women, and women with children, experiencing homelessness. However, we do so much more than “keep the light on” for our guests. We have implemented numerous programs, like Safe Ground for Families, in which we help women gain the tools they need to break out of the cycle of homelessness.”
Finalists were chosen by Long Island business professionals during preliminary judging. Members of the Awards’ Distinguished Judging Panel selected the Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging.
“Being named a Finalist in The Long Island Imagine Awards is an important achievement,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards. “It means that the Organization has been identified as a leader on Long Island, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations. Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.”
Details about Long Island Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at https://imagineawardsli.com/the-awards/
About Bethany House
Bethany House was founded in 1978 in response to a validated need for shelter for women, and women with children experiencing homelessness on Long Island. Throughout its forty-four years, Bethany has provided safe, supportive emergency and housing and support services for homeless single women and women with dependent children. Bethany House exists to strengthen and assist those women and children from Long Island who are deprived of the basic resources required for natural and healthy growth and development. We work to support women, and women with children, through uncertainty to stability. We carry this out through a three-step approach. We begin by providing shelter and meeting the basic needs of guests in a welcoming, safe, and home-like setting. We offer programs which provide a continuum of care that starts with emergency shelter, moves into transitional services and housing, and culminates in permanent housing and greater self-sufficiency and ongoing support.
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 on Long Island by Ken Cerini Managing Partner 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. 2024 will represent the 12th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards https://imagineawardsli.com and the 4th Annual event in NYC, https://NYCimagineawards.com.
Long Island Imagine Awards Winners to Be Announced on Wednesday,
May 1, 2024 at the Crest Hollow Country Club
Bethany House Connection: January 2024
| A Message from our Executive Director |
| I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has welcomed me with open arms to Bethany House as the new Executive Director. I am extremely excited for this to be my next chapter in helping to fight the homeless crisis in Nassau County. I’d like to take this opportunity to update you about the important work we have been able to accomplish recently. Bethany House strives to be a leader in the solution for homelessness in Nassau County. We work hard to be a community of support, in various ways, for those who come to us for help. One of those ways is a transitional services and housing program, Safe Ground for Families, which opened its doors in April 2023, and continues to be an invaluable resource for our community. The program was created to address the obstacles of long-term sustainability, so that women and children can stay out of the shelter system permanently. Since April, two more guests with their children have joined the program and moved into our transitional home. All of our guests in this program are making strides towards self-sufficiency, with the support of our case management team, by obtaining additional education, employment coaching, achieving financial planning goals, and much more. Bethany House also recently partnered with Community Development Long Island, Inc. to provide housing for three families which had been awarded Section-8 vouchers. We were able to provide furnished apartments, as well as a supportive Case Manager, to help guide them through their transition to stable housing. I am very proud to share this information with you about our transitional housing program, which is so needed, especially in a county with such high rents. We have the honor of providing women and their children a safe, clean, supportive environment, for a very low monthly rent. Bethany House continues to work diligently to address additional areas of needed support for our guests, in an effort to help them break the cycle of homelessness. These include financial competence and mental health support for our guests, as well as staff development. I am excited to share that we will continue to explore meaningful programs that will allow us to better serve those who turn to use in their time of need. |
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| Katie Swanson, Executive Director |
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| You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, we’ll tell you why… Because…. SANTA Claus came to town, well to Bethany House to be more precise!!!! Santa, Ms. Claus and their brood of elves arrived to take part in our annual Bethany House Trim-the-Tree Party on December 20th. The night was full of festivities with great food cooked and purchased by staff and guests, karaoke and a surprise visit from Santa! Of course we couldn’t hear his reindeer’s hooves on our rooftop because everyone was singing loudly and having a wonderful time! Santa and team passed out gifts to each mom, and every child, before he had to get back to the North Pole to prepare for next year. When he left, he took Stanley, the Bethany House elf on the shelf, with him! Stanley did not want to leave our warm, inviting house, so he was hiding in the tree top! Away they all went with a HO-HO-HO UNTIL NEXT YEAR! |
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| Holiday Extravaganza! Buckley Country Day School held an epic holiday party for our guests in December. The school staff, parents, and students went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had a great time. The chef made a delicious lunch of corn on the cob, the best mashed potatoes you’ve ever tasted, macaroni and cheese, green beans with mushrooms and onions, delicious turkey slices, fresh salad, and bread. Next the dessert spread was incredible – cookies, cakes, pies, and cupcakes galore! Guests took pictures in front of the Christmas tree, then he pictures were printed out, and the guests decorated frames for them. There was a gingerbread making station, where each person got a kit with a house and all the items needed to decorate, including the icing and candy. The children got to run around the gym, play, and color. The students were SO good with the children and the moms. It was heartwarming to watch. There were gifts for every Mom and every child. All who attended left with their tummies, hearts and arms full of holiday love and spirit. A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS TRADITION AT BETHANY HOUSE! Each year, Bethany House is fortunate to partner with wonderful supporters in our community to “adopt” our families for Christmas. This year, over 20 “adopters” were given a wish list of gifts, written by the women and children in our emergency shelters. Once they shopped for the gifts, they wrapped the mother’s gifts, left the children’s gifts unwrapped, and dropped them off at one of houses. Then, many of the mothers got to “shop” for their children’s gifts in our make-shift “store,” where we laid out children’s toys and clothes for them to peruse. The women then got to wrap the gifts for their children, as if they shopped and bought them on their own. It was a joyous occasion for all involved. The women and children at Bethany House are so appreciative of the generous gifts donated through our Adopt-A-Family Program. We thank all of those who participated for remembering them during what can be a most difficult time of year. The beautiful gifts were given to our women and children on Christmas Day, and brought so much joy to each of them. At Bethany House, we work to support homeless women, and women with children, through transition to stability. We simply could not do all of this wonderful work without our generous and caring supporters. And so, we thank all of those who helped make the 2023 Adopt A Family Program such an incredible success! Bethany House would like to thank each and every one of the following for “adopting” one or more of our guests (if your name was omitted, please know it’s just human error!): Jon and Dana Acquafredda Jeanine Badalamenti Leticia Bonomo Kelsey Bottari Maryann Brolley Olivia Cino Kristin Cox and Girl Scout Troop 2238 from Oceanside Leah Didriksen Kerry Figueiredo and the South Side High School Bethany Buddies Club Ellen Foley Tawanda Harris Michelle Heller Rachel Hollywood, Esq. Valerie Iovino Lauren Jukofsky and Girl Scout Troop 2164 from Oceanside Cory Knopf Rich Kuenstler Kathleen Lovece Catherine Modzelewski and the Valley Stream School STOP Club Jennifer Pintiliano-Gemmo and Girl Scout Troop 2083 from Oceanside Vicki Rhodes Sheila Pio Kristi Schaefer and Girl Scout Troop 2552 from Oceanside Leeanna Simo Helen Sofocli Kevin and Melissa Stender  Annual Appeal Success: Thank You! Thank you to the many of you who gave generous donations to the Bethany House Annual Appeal, every dollar of which helps support the vital programs we offer to our guests. Because of your generosity, combined with that of other caring people like you, we continue to be able to uplift women, many with children, and guide them from homelessness toward independence and self-sufficiency. As mentioned in the annual appeal, government funding enables us to “keep the lights on” at our three emergency shelters. Your generosity gives us the ability to provide our guests with the comprehensive support they need to gain financial stability and secure permanent housing for themselves and their children. With your help, we are working diligently to break the cycle of homelessness. Thank you again for your generosity. If you would like to learn more about the wonderful work we do, please give us a call at 516-868-6866 to set up a meeting or a tour of Bethany House. |
Annual Appeal Success: Thank you!
Thank you to so many of you who made generous donations to the Bethany House Annual Appeal, every dollar of which helps support the vital programs we offer to our guests. Because of your generosity, combined with that of other caring people like you, we continue to be able to uplift women, many with children, and guide them from homelessness toward independence and self-sufficiency.
As I mentioned in the annual appeal, government funding enables us to “keep the lights on” at our three emergency shelters. Your generosity gives us the ability to provide our guests with the comprehensive support they need to gain financial stability and secure permanent housing for themselves and their children. With your help, we are working diligently to break the cycle of homelessness.
Thank you again for your generosity. If you would like to learn more about the wonderful work we do, please give us a call at 516-868-6866 to set up a meeting or a tour of Bethany House.
Sincerely.
Katie Swanson, Executive Director