Happy Days Dispensary, a Farmingdale-based cannabis retailer, saved the lives of more than 100 children worldwide after raising nearly $120,000 in funds for Gift of Life International, a global nonprofit dedicated to fighting congenital heart disease.
Gift of Life CEO Rob Raylman said he was blown away by the amount Happy Days raised. Happy Days was founded by its president. Paul Lepore.
“The fact that the community that Paul serves came together and was able to make this donation to us is really impressive and speaks volumes to Paul as a leader of his organization but also the loyalty of his patrons,” Raylman said.
Gift of Life is an international organization that provides life-saving heart surgery to children worldwide who otherwise would not have access to necessary surgical procedures. The Manhasset Rotary Club and Robbie Donno founded the organization in 1975 and now provide more than 5,000 surgeries per year.
Treating 5,000 children a year amounts to one every 99 minutes, Raylman said, meaning a child’s life is saved in just the time it takes to watch a movie.
Gift of Life works within 80 different countries, with its mission also encompassing efforts to uplift local doctors and surgeons to provide these life-saving operations locally. Their funds not only subsidize the care for these children, but also train local healthcare providers to provide the necessary care.
Originally, Gift of Life transported children in need of surgery to the United States, the first being provided at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn. But now kids can be treated in their home country through the organization’s efforts.
“So we’re able to really maximize the dollars that we raised because of the global network that we’ve put together,” Raylman said.
Happy Days, a Farmingdale-based cannabis dispensary, launched an exclusive in-store, online and delivery menu of top cannabis brands with a portion of the proceeds going to Gift of Life International over the month of February.
Raylman said it is not often that Long Island businesses host fund-raiser for Gift of Life, expressing gratitude for the efforts led by Lepore.
Lepore, who grew up in Manhasset, has known the Donno family since he was a child. This is how he came to learn of Gift of Life International.
“This cause has always been important to me, and I’m honored that Happy Days can help in raising awareness and supporting their efforts to save the lives of children in need,” Lepore said.
Lepore’s history with Gift of Life goes back years, including in 2014 when he sponsored the surgery for 2-year-old Jaime, a boy from El Salvador. Lepore’s older brother died of heart failure the day after Jaime’s surgery, saying that his brother had given his heart to Jaime in spirit.
Raylman grew up on Long Island as well, being raised in Manhasset Hills and attending Herricks schools, and said seeing the community he knows rally behind this cause meant a lot to him.
Raylman said his hope is that other local businesses join the cause and help fund-raise for Gift of Life to continue providing their life-saving efforts.
Lepore said Happy Days has hosted fund-raisers in the past, including a drive in October for breast cancer awareness, and his goal is to use his business as a channel for charitable outreach to give back as well.
“We couldn’t have done it without our community and our customers and fellow Long Islanders,” Lepore said. “They’re the ones who made this possible. We just created the vehicle.”
