Each year the Syosset-Woodbury Chamber of Commerce chooses two local nonprofits to donate a portion of its proceeds to. This year it was the Sabrina Navaretta Memorial Foundation.
“We’re just so appreciative and honored that they chose our foundation,” said John Navaretta.
John and Mara started the foundation shortly after their 19-year-old daughter Sabrina died in a car accident in April 2023. Sabrina graduated from Syosset High School and attended the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware.
The foundation donates to various charities and nonprofits in the area and provides two scholarships for Syosset High School seniors.
In addition to the memorial foundation, the chamber is partnering with the Syosset Little League.
“We’re hoping to raise between $3,000 and $4,000 to be able to donate to each of those charities by the end of the year,” said Russell Green, president of the chamber of commerce.
Last year, the chamber donated $2,500 to Tempo Group and the Children’s Orchestra Society. Proceeds come from chamber events throughout the year, such as the Syosset Street Fair and Holiday Lighting Spectacular.
John Navaretta said the funds from the chamber will help “enhance” the foundation’s mission, by furthering the scholarship awards and helping fund programming. He said the partnership with the chamber honors Sabrina’s legacy as a Woodbury resident.
“She always was so community-minded, so this is an honor that the community rallied around to support her foundation,” John Navaretta said.
He said the donation shows him and Mara that the foundation is “heading in the right direction.”
In addition to its partnership with the two organizations, the chamber is running a sponsorship program with the Little League in which local businesses can have their logos displayed on the field for $50.
“We’re allowing members to promote themselves for a good cause,” Green said.
For more information, visit syossetchamber.com.
