MINEOLA, NEW YORK, June 25, 2021 – On June 24, 2021, Garden City-based nonprofit FCA held the organization’s 36th annual Mission Moment Scholarship Fund Breakfast at Westbury Manor in Westbury, NY.
For over three decades, FCA’s Mission Moment Scholarship Fund has aimed to guide local youth toward successful futures by enabling at-risk individuals to pursue higher education and improve their lives by matching them with donors. Nearly 50 college scholarships were awarded, raising a total of nearly $110,000 this year.
Scholarship recipients were given the opportunity to meet the donors who helped make their journey possible. The annual reception recognized the extraordinary achievements of scholarship winners, and the dedicated staff and donors who contribute to the program.
One of this year’s honorees, former New York Jet, Erik Coleman, shared inspiring words with the students and spoke about the importance of perseverance and never giving up.
Other speakers included Dr. Isma Chaudhry, Hon. Brianna A. Vaughan, Parvin. P., FCA Walkabout resident, and Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, FCA President & CEO, all inspired a sense of motivation and optimism for the future amongst the students. The importance of hard work and determination combined with a strong support network or “village” like that which FCA provides were emphasized and ran a common thread amongst the powerful words of the featured presenters.
“We at FCA continue to be inspired by the generosity of our donors and tenacity of our students. The past year has been tough for Long Island’s young people but raising more than $100,000 this morning means that the return to classrooms in September will be a little easier for many. It also means that we have set our scholars up for future success, which makes Long Island better for everyone”, commented Dr. Reynolds.
Donna Raphael, Senior Director, who oversees several youth programs at FCA and works alongside these young scholars often for several years commented, “The annual scholarship event inspires us all and allows Long Island students to accomplish their educational goals. The affirmation and commitment of our FCA staff also make this mission moment a success.”
Over the past 36 years, FCA’s Mission Moment Scholarship Fund has gifted over 1,500 scholarships worth more than $2,000,000 to students engaged with FCA’s programs and services. Scholarship recipients have attended schools including Stony Brook University, Harvard University, Hofstra University, Binghamton University, Nassau Community College, Columbia University, New York Institute of Technology, Farmingdale State College and many more!
About FCA
FCA is a not-for-profit agency helping more than 30,000 Long Islanders each year. For over the last 135 years, the organization has worked to protect and strengthen vulnerable children, seniors, families and communities on Long Island.
FCA believes in the potential of Long Island – a place where no child, senior, family or community is left to struggle alone with barriers to health care, education, employment or economic prosperity. Long Island continues to be one of the greatest place in the world to live and raise a family for many; FCA exists to ensure that be the case for all.
For more information about FCA, visit FCALI.org.
