Special Times News from A Very Special Place, Inc.

On August 21, 2018, A Very Special Place held the 29th Annual Special Strokes for Special Folks Golf Outing. It was a great day for all those involved! The outing’s success was a result of the generosity and dedication of our many sponsors, golf committee members, players, dinner guests, volunteers, and in-kind donors. A Special Thank You to Presenting Sponsor, American Golf Corporation, our Dinner Sponsor, A&B Van Service and our Golf Sponsor, Stop & Stor, as well as those that supported to this year’s event. The outing was a full day of activities starting with breakfast and followed by the first round of golf in the early morning. All the morning golfers then enjoyed lunch, which was already being served for the afternoon golfers before they geared up for their 1st round of golf. Later in the evening, cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served as everyone enjoyed the pin flag presentation and live auction of the Lexus Champions for Charity National Championship. When they headed into dinner, the golfers picked up their foursome photos taken earlier in the day, and browsed the raffles and silent auction baskets. Dinner guests were also able to purchase tickets for our 50/50 Birthday Board and also a chance to win a diamond necklace donated by Casale Jewelers. The evening also included the announcement of the winners for golfers’ raffles, event and 1 in 100 raffles, and golfer’s prizes. It was very exciting as everyone held their breath hoping to be the big winner! Our thanks to the dedicated efforts of the golf committee: Kevin Hunt (Committee Chairman), Joanne Baranello, Tom Blancero, Al Bonadonna, Steven Callan,

Gus Di Leo, Geoff Finkel, Michael Gutierrez, Alice Lanzi, Phil Maguire, Tom McCauley, Terry McCormick, Michael Porpora, Jean Ringhoff, Janine Romano, Mark Russo, Sam and Arlene Scollar, Marion Tasso, Richard Travers, Dan and MaryAnn Weibel and Dan Wheeler. It is through your efforts that we are able to continue to provide a wider range of programs and services to over 1,000 Staten Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities that A Very Special Place serves. Thank you to all who

supported this event!

AVSP HELD ITS 29TH ANNUAL SPECIAL STROKES FOR SPECIAL FOLKS GOLF OUTING

Volume 20, Number 3 Summer/Fall 2018

Terry McCormick, Golf Committee Member, Laura Delin, Associate Executive Director and Kevin Hunt, Committee Chairman presents a commemorative framed #2 Pin Flag to Ken Henick of Stop & Stor.

Terry McCormick, Golf Committee Member, Diane Buglioli, Deputy Executive Director, Kevin Hunt, Committee Chairman and Laura Delin, Associate Executive Director presents a commemorative framed #29 Pin Flag to Lee Finkel, Joe Bischoff and Mike Gutierrez, of American Golf Corporation.

Terry McCormick, Golf Committee Member, Kevin Hunt, Committee Chairman and Laura Delin, Associate Executive Director presents a commemorative framed #7 Pin Flag to Angelo Nasca Jr. and Ronnie Nasca of A&B Van Service.

Laura Delin, Associate Executive Director and Kevin Hunt, Committee Chairman presents a commemorative framed #17 Pin Flag to Rich Velija of Lexus of Manhattan.

One on One Physical Therapy Honors Harvest Trainee

Georgie!

One on One Physical

Therapy and Sports

Rehabilitation held its

7th Annual High School

Senior Baseball Game at

the College of Staten

Island for their Autism

Awareness Fundraiser.

Owner Joe Saraceno and

College of Staten Island

baseball coach Mike

Mauro ran the event this year.

Georgie, one of our Harvest trainees, was

one of three honorees that got to throw

out the first pitch of the game. As an

honoree a portion of the proceeds goes to

George’s charity of choice. He selected

AVSP as his charity to receive the

proceeds!

A big Thank You to One on One Physical

Therapy for honoring Georgie at their

High School Senior Baseball Game during

their Autism Awareness Fundraiser. Great

job Georgie!

PRESENTING American Golf Corporation

GOLF Stop & Stor Charitable Fund

DINNER A&B Van Service, Inc.

LEADING Majestic Foods

BIRDIE AVSP Founders Mutual of America Office Equipment Company of Staten Island

LINKS The DiLeo Family Dime Community Bank NRG Arthur Kill Power LLC

SCORE KEEPER BCB Community Bank BDO USA, Inc. Evero Corporation Kevin Hunt Northfield Bank RPM Insurance Louis & Geri Scotto USI Insurance Services

GREENS KEEPER Clifton, Budd & Demaria, LLP Gus DiLeo Liberty Contracting Corp. Richmond Orthopedic Associates

PIN PARTNER Ruth Vivian Acosta Mr. and Mrs. Carlo Anderson Lola Braisted Roseanne Celic Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Cooke Imperial Bag & Paper Co. Alfredo Dinten In Memory of Bill Laub

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Kaul Kerry J. Kelly, MD Lexus of Manhattan Red Alert Scaran Oil Marion Tasso Traditional Abstract Corporation Stephen Siller—Tunnel to Towers Foundation Weibel, Ryan & Rumberg

EAGLE ENDOWER Advanced Action Pest Control Marc Aronson, Attorney at Law BDO USA, LLP Mr. Robert Casazza Marty & Barbara Casey Chem-Care Industries, Inc. Community Resources Frederick Connors Alfredo Dinten Mrs. Mary G. Flaherty Greenwire Solutions Hanley Funeral Home Hook and Rail Corp. Imperial Dade Lifestyles for the Disabled, Inc. Ms. Denise C. Moran Frank and Sandie O’Connor Prager & Co. Rab’s Country Lanes Safe Harbor Healthcare Services South Shore Kiwanis Club Mrs. Linda S. Tokarzewski Wil-John’s Tire Empire, LLC

CHIP SHOT Acme Industrial Inc. Brooklyn Mechanical Heating Corp. Central Office Alarm Company Mr. and Mrs. Jay Chazanoff Mr. and Mrs. Daniel V. Cooke, Jr. Eastern DataComm Ms. Virginia C. Hamilton Imperial Dade In Loving Memory of Lily Jo Jurgens JVA Masonry, Inc. LiGreci's Staaten Louis L. Buttermark & Sons, Inc.

J. Mangone Construction Corp. Karen Miettinen Mr. Edward Milza Person Centered Care Services Ranchers Best Wholesale Meat Gennaro & Madeline Rondinelli Better Homes and Gardens— Safari Realty Spare Pair Vision Center Zachary Tuckman/Paycom Wohl & O'Mara, L.L.P.

YARDAGE CLUB Cardinal Electric Supply Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Cilento Mr. and Mrs. Carmen Cognetta, Jr. Ms. Mary C. Gabriel Ms. Dorothy A. Gulman Mr. and Mrs. Allan Holder Imperial Dade Ed and Rita Lacerra Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martin Meals on Wheels of Staten Island Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sciacca South Beach Civic Association Staaten House Coffee Ms. Marie E. Zolfo

AT THE TURN American Fruit Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Choquette Mr. Bill Decker Ms. Imelda Doherty Don’s Appliance Service Mr. and Mrs. Dominick Florio Mr. and Mrs. Dermot Flynn Green Grass Sprinkler Systems Izon Construction Ms. Patricia A. Leech Ms. Maryann Lombardo Ms. Maria Mancino Mr. Frederick McKinnon Olympia Auto Repair Center The Peoples Workshop, Ltd. Van Alphen Bros., Inc.

STARTER Belles Trio Mr. George A. Belle-Oudry Mr. Michael S. Cilento Mr. and Mrs. Jerome F. Cooper

Mrs. Barbara Devaney Mrs. Mary C. Gabriel Mr. Costabile Galdi Mr. Robert Igneri Mr. Bernard Inganamorte Mr. and Mrs. Harold Knutsen Ms. Maria A. Lacava Matthew Funeral Home and Cremation Service Mr. and Mrs. William Micciulla Olympia Auto Repair Center Ms. Esther Patino Mr. Edward Ranieri Mr. and Mrs. John R. Sardone Mr. Howard Schecter Ms. Diane Senerchia Van Alphen Bros., Inc. Women of the Moose

HOLE IN ONE SPONSORS Lexus of Manhattan Dan and Mary Ann Weibel

A Special Thank You

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all those who made the 2018 Golf Outing a great success. We ask all of our friends at A Very Special Place, Inc. to sup-

port those who have supported us:

IN-KIND DONATIONS Adam’s Polish AF Bennett Salon & Wellness Center AfterShokz Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Alice Austen House Museum Alliance Brokerage Corporation Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. Ame & Lulu American Weight Scales American Museum of Natural History AmWINS Brokerage of New York The Antigua Group, Inc. Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar Aunt Butchie’s of Brooklyn AutoZone Aviation Hall of Fame & Museum B and A Jewelers Mrs. Joanne Baranello Bayside Resort Beat the Bomb NYC Beatriz Ball Beaver Brook Country Club Benjamin Restaurant Group Big Ed’s BBQ Inc. Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Kitchen Blown, Inc. Blue Man Group Blue Velvet Bocelli Restaurant Bossina Couture Mrs. Lola Braisted Brella Brella LLC The Broadway Comedy Club Broadway.com Brooklyn Botanic Garden Bruno Bakery & Restaurant Buffalo Bills Ms. Diane M. Buglioli Bumkins The Burt Coyote Company, Inc. Cafe Bella Vita Cafe Milano Restaurant The Cake Chef Mr. Steve Callan Callaway Golf Foundation Canlon’s Restaurant Carnegie Hall Carolee Carolines on Broadway Casale Jewelers The Castle Fun Center Centenary Stage Company Chef Mike’s Rodizio Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill Christopher Michael Salon Clean Swift Maintenance Clearvision Optical Company The Colonial Inn

Count Basie Center for the Arts Cranbury Golf Club Criquet Shirts Crossroads Theatre Company Cruz Golf Country Club Cucina Fresca CUTCO Cutlery Corp. Darex, LLC Mr. Daniel Davis Dave & Buster’s Demon Brewing Company Mr. Gus DiLeo Donald Ross Sportswear Dorney Park Drybar East Pacific Pan Asian Bistro Eastlyn Golf Course EastVille Comedy Club Elan Hair & Nails Elite Island Resorts European Wax Center Expo Gentlemen Salon & Spa Famous Footwear The Finest Accessories, Inc. Fogo de Chao Churrascaria Foxchase Golf Club Foxwoods Resort Casino Fun Station USA Ms. Jane Gambino Gambler Ridge Golf Club Gargiulo’s Restaurant Gerald Peter’s Gold Mine GGblue, LLC Giovanni’s Trattoria Glass House Tavern GLDN Jewelry GolfKnickers.com Golf Philly Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza Gorjana Ms. Mary Gormley Gotham Comedy Club The Gravity Vault Garden State Discovery Museum Sam T. Gregorio’s Florist The Hall of Frames Hanover Golf Club Hilton Garden Inn Hook & Rail Meats In Phase Fashions International Center of Photography iPic Theaters iPlay America Iron Valley Golf Club Island’s End Golf & Country Club Ivory & Co James Corbett Studio JCC of Staten Island Jimmy Max JoFit John’s Crazy Socks Mr. Daniel Jost Jura-Capresso Kashkaval Garden Restaurant Kendra Scott

Kerry Food Service Kick Axe Brooklyn Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn L&S Party Express La Strada Restaurant Lake Isle Country Club Landry’s Inc. Lee Sims Chocolate Lia Schorr Skin Care Liberty Science Center Lighting World, Inc. Limitless Fitness Studios Livan Savino Opticians Lobster House Joe’s Luigi Bormioli Philadelphia’s Magic Garden The Marina Cafe Marine Park Golf Course The McKittrick Hotel Metro Pizzeria & Restaurant MNDFL Meditation Modern Pinball NYC Mohegan Sun Moravian Florist Moretti Bakery Moso Natural The Museum of City of New York National Lighthouse Museum The New Victory Theater New York New York Salon NFP Nikon Sport Optics Nino’s Restaurant Nunzio’s Pizza New York Broadway Tours New York Comedy Club New York Giants New York Jets New York Red Bulls Orgain Paige Hospitality Group Pastosa Ravioli of West Brighton Pehquenakonck Country Club PepperJack Grill Pine Barrens Golf Club Pinot’s Palette Pittsburgh Steelers Planet Wings Premier Cancun Vacations Prevue Boutique Primal Wear Primo Pizzeria Restaurant Project Brunch Rab’s Country Lanes Rack Room Shoes Richmond County Country Club Ms. Jean Ringhoff Royce Brook Golf Club RPM Raceway Rumble Boxing Rutgers University Golf Course Santa’s Workshop Scottish American Seabreeze Amusement Park Seastreak LLC SelfieGOLF

ShedRain Corporation Shipwrecked Brooklyn ShopRite #110 Hylan Showplace Entertainment Center Six Flags Great Adventure Sixpoint Brewery Sky View Golf Club The Skyscraper Museum Smathers & Branson SoJo Spa Club South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa Southmoore Golf Course Stand-Up New York Staten Island Museum Staten Island Skating Pavilion Staten Island Yankees Staten Island Zoo The Stone House Stop & Shop Summa Love Sun Mountain Mrs. Marion Tasso Taste Buds Kitchen Thrifty Exterminating Corp. Tin Cup Products, LLC Topgolf Triarco Arts and Crafts TriBeCa MedSpa TRUE Linkswear Urban Air Adventure Park Vineyard Vines Wagner College Watson Adventure, LLC Wave Hill, Inc. Wegmans Mr. Dan Weibel Whipping Post Ms. Maureen Whyte Wildlife Conservation Society YMCA—Staten Island Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center Z-One Restaurant Zen Skincare, Shiseido Cosmetics Boutique Zimmerli Art Museum

Prefer to donate needed items for our programs or residences instead? A Very Special Place, Inc. is now registered on Amazon wishlist!

Before getting started, go to smile.amazon.com and sign onto your Amazon account. Hover over Account & Lists, then click

“Find a List or Registry.” On the next screen (refer to the photo below), type in the search field: A Very Special Place, Inc.

Check out what items were requested by the individuals, for which program/residence, and how many are needed.

Every act of generosity counts, and each means even more when we give together.

Amazon Wish List link!

Shopping through Amazon Smile is very easy. You use the same Amazon.com login, and shop for the same products with the same prices and services. The only difference is the page you start your

shopping on, so be sure to bookmark smile.amazon.com. To see if a

product is eligible for the Amazon Smile program, simply look in the product description (see photo to the right).

To get started, simply to go smile.amazon.com and sign-in with your

Amazon login information. The next screen will have charity options to

choose from and a search field where you can type in the charity of your choice. We are listed in the Amazon Smile program as:

A Very Special Place, Inc.

What a great way to help - you shop, Amazon gives!

Amazon Smile Link!

Shop AmazonSmile and Amazon donates to A Very Special Place, Inc.

In June AVSP’s Community Center program held their 37th Annual Sports Awards Dinner at LiGreci’s Staaten in West Brighton. The Athletes, their families and friends along with AVSP staff all enjoyed an exciting evening of award presentations. Awards were given out for basketball, bowling, flag football, kickball, softball, volleyball and other team sports. Individuals team efforts, along with good sportsmanship are recognized on this exciting evening. Staff members of the Community Center actively planned the Awards Dinner and also participated as speakers and masters of ceremonies. The Community Center is AVSP’s resource for recreational activities on weekday, evenings and Saturday mornings for individuals 18 years old and over. Many sports are offered on a seasonal basis, while others are offered upon request of the individual participants. Congratulations to all AVSP Sports participants! Your hard work and dedication has truly paid off. The evening was another success, and it was a great year for all the athletes.

Click here to see the full article by the Staten Island Advance.

37th Annual Sports Awards Dinner!

Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project—Boy Scout Troop 37

Boy Scout Troop 37 chose A Very Special Place for this year’s Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project. The project was headed up by John Altschuler. Everyone at A Very Special Place, Inc. would like to thank John and the rest of the troop for volunteering their time and painting the handicapped railings at our New Dorp Lane location. It was a beautiful day and they spent many hours making our railings look brand new again. They all did a great job!

2nd Annual Science Fair

Individuals from our New Dorp Lane Day Habilitation program and Milton Avenue Day Habilitation program held their 2nd Annual Science Fair. Family, friends and staff were invited to attend the science fair and everyone was able to visit each of the individuals projects. The individuals showed off their science fair boards, experiments and some even talked about their projects. Each one took such pride in their work. Thank you for all your efforts. Everyone did such a great job!

694 New Dorp Lane Staten Island, NY 10306

Dine in or Call your Order in at 347-857-6888 Visit the Harvest Café website! Check us out on the web at www.harvestcafe-si.org

Order from the Harvest Café on Door Dash!

Every Friday and Saturday

Night in October!

Three Course Dinner which includes Salad, Entrée, Dessert, Coffee and a Complimentary Glass of Wine!

$29.00 per person

The Harvest Café recently participated in the 4th Annual New Dorp Restaurant Crawl. They were among 21 other restaurants that participated this year. New Dorp Lane was hopping with thousands of people walking the lane and enjoying the variety of food samples. The café served a loaded tater tot casserole and gave out discount coupons to be used on their next visit to the café. The Harvest Café will receive a small portion of the proceeds for participating in this great event.

694 New Dorp Lane Staten Island, NY 10306

Dine in or Call your Order in at 347-857-6888 Visit the Harvest Café website! Check us out on the web at www.harvestcafe-si.org

PROGRAM AND SERVICES DIRECTORY

New Dorp Lane Habilitation Services 634 New Dorp Lane Milton Avenue Habilitation Services (718) 351-6129 AVSP Executive Offices 49 Cedar Grove Avenue Family Reimbursement (718) 987-1234 Residential Services Self Directed Services/Fiscal Intermediary Employment Training Alternatives 55 Quintard Street Recreation and Respite Services (718) 979-4744 Residential Habilitation Service Coordination Senior Services Harvest Café 694 New Dorp Lane (347)857-6888

AVSP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Daniel R. Wheeler, President Gus DiLeo Kevin Hunt, Vice President Terrence C. McCormick Marion Tasso, Secretary Susan Montella Maria Formica, Treasurer Jean R. Ringhoff Steven P. Callan Richard Travers Daniel B. Davis

EXECUTIVE STAFF

Genevieve R. Benoit, Executive Director Diane M. Buglioli, Deputy Executive Director Laura Delin, Associate Executive Director Dotty Kroft, Associate Executive Director Jackie Scarcella, Associate Executive Director

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

Ruth Vivian Acosta, Linda Carpenter, Kevin Fogarty, Joseph Reali, Joyce Wong

A Very Special Place, Inc. Executive Office

49 Cedar Grove Avenue Staten Island, NY 10306

718-987-1234 • www.avspny.org

Employer Gift Matching

Many companies offer matching gift programs to encourage their employees to contribute to charitable organizations. Most of these programs will match contributions dollar to dollar, and some will even double or triple the amount of your gift.

Here’s how to find out if your company is one of them:

1. Go to www.matchinggifts.com/rit/ or click LINK! 2. Type in your company in the search box 3. Once you locate your company, click on the link to the Matching Gift

Form URL 4. Fill out the appropriate form (paper or online)

It’s that easy! So go online today and see if your company is listed. You can also check with your human resources office and see if they participate and simply obtain an application from them and return it with your donation to A Very Special Place.

We are so thankful to have friends like you that donate and support everything we do at A Very Special Place Inc.! Through your kind donations, we are able to continue to take the initiative to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are active in all aspects of every day living—working in the community, volunteering with other local organizations, and enjoying recreational and physical activities. Join us on “Giving Tuesday”, November 27th, to continue the philanthropic spirit by donating to AVSP and celebrating what we strive to do.

Donate Link!

11.27.2018