L.I.G.H.T. FOR CHARITY™ (‘Long Island Giving Help Together For Charity’) is my column
where I shine a light on a different Long Island-based charity each month.
For this column, I want to discuss the Family and Children’s Association (“FCA”), a not-for-profit organization that provides help and hope to Long Island’s most vulnerable families and children.
The FCA has been operating on Long Island for over 100 years.
It was originally formed to provide shelter to orphaned and mistreated children on Long Island, but over time, its services have expanded to offer a wide range of community-based programs and services.
For example, the FCA offers substance abuse and addiction services, mental health services, senior and adult services, youth services, parent support services, immigrant resources, shelter services, community outreach and
support.
As part of its youth support program, the FCA provides free services for people up to 21 years old who are at risk of developing a mental health diagnosis.
The FCA also administers a “Ladders to Success” program, which is located at its learning center in Garden City. This program helps high school students with math, English, and other subjects to avoid remedial classes and access credit-bearing classes at Nassau Community College and beyond.
The FCA also provides programs for adults. For example, one of the most impactful services the FCA provides is its Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Program.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, irreversible brain disorder that destroys memory, thinking skills, and the ability to carry out daily activities.
Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease can be emotionally and physically stressful and challenging, so this program supports Alzheimer’s caregivers in underserved communities in Long Island through outreach, individual and group counseling, educational sessions, and joint enrichment programs.
The FCA has trained staff that will make home visits to discuss specific family situations and assess individualized needs, and then link those in need to resources and services to provide counseling as well as other forms of assistance for those who need it.
The FCA organizes several fun events each year designed to bring people together while highlighting the meaningful work it does for residents of Long Island in need.
One such event is FCA’s annual golf outing, which brings together donors, vendors, and partners for a day of
outdoor networking, raffles, food, and fun.
The next golf outing will be held at The Creek in Locust Valley on July 29, 2025, and it will be another in a long line of fun events put on by the FCA.
Another event hosted by the FCA is its ‘Long Island Women in Philanthropy’ breakfast and fashion show, which celebrates the philanthropic achievements of women.
The next Long Island Women in Philanthropy breakfast and fashion show will be held on March 26, 2025, at the Mansion at Oyster Bay.
For more information about the FCA, please visit its website at https://www.fcali.org/. If you’d
like to help the FAC, you may do so by donating funds, joining an advocacy committee,
volunteering your time or by attending one of the FCA’s many fundraisers.
