There was no better setting for our Fall Sporting Clays Fundraiser than the beautiful wooded shooting grounds of Orvis Sandanona in Millbrook, NY on a brisk autumn Friday.
Though it wasn’t our first sporting clays event, it was our first fundraiser designated to the expansion of the NICU at Maimonides Medical Center, bringing in over $120,000.
It certainly felt like fall as the grounds were adorned with autumn decorations such as pumpkins, corn stalks, and flowers in hues of gold and red. And the 120 participants could keep warm around the various fire pits on the 25-station course, as well as fuel up on delicious chili and snacks.
During the lunch and awards ceremony, guests heard from Kenneth Gibbs, President and CEO of Maimonides, on their commitment to bringing medical excellence to Brooklyn, despite economic challenges they face.
“Brooklyn on its own would be the fourth largest city in the country, and half of our residents are on Medicaid,” he shared. “And because those with commercial insurance go to Manhattan for their care, the bulk of the population in Brooklyn are missing out on government subsidies.”
In addition, Brooklyn has over 600,000 children, and yet Maimonides is the only children’s hospital in the borough.
“We deliver over 8,500 babies every year – the most of any institution in the state. And 1,000 of them end up in the NICU.”
With only 30 beds and the average stay lasting anywhere between one and six months, the expansion of the NICU is a necessity. And we are proud that construction on the expanded Kids for Kids NICU will be commencing in 2019.
In addition, Kids for Kids’ pledge of $1.5 million over 10 years has had an even bigger impact on Maimonides beyond the NICU.
“We are an institution that never really had a strong history of building philanthropy. And we set out to change that two years ago,” Ken shared.
“And at our Gala, you made this incredible pledge. That pledge was a kick-off to other people in our community and we are now raising millions of dollars for other efforts because you have played a leadership role in building our philanthropy efforts.”
Guests celebrated after hearing these details of how their participation in this event is contributing to the success of the Kids for Kids Foundation and furthering its efforts to impact the lives of all children who require the specialized services of Maimonides’ NICU.
Special thanks Nick Raineri, Vice Chair of the Kids for Kids Foundation, for leading this event and to the Presenting Sponsors Benjamin Mechanical and Orange County Ironworks, LLC for making our first fundraiser for Maimonides such a success.
