Stories - Community Impact

Meet Mary - a 9 year old girl with a bubbly personality and a participant in Choice for All's Student Success Center, a program supported by United Way of Long Island. Mary's mother was referred to the program by a community member that had a child in the program with similar academic concerns. Mary’s mom is a single mother of two with Mary being the youngest. She expressed concerns about Mary's struggle with…

Josephine is many things – a woman, a mother, and a domestic violence survivor. One thing she is not, is a statistic.

"I'm just happy to be alive, that I'm not a statistic, because I do know that a couple women in Nassau County lost their lives. I could have been one of them," she reflects.

Born and raised in Nassau County, Josephine became involved with a man who was her best friend. He later turned into the father of…

Some might say she had an ideal life; with a Bachelor’s in Psychology from C.W. Post and a full-time position as a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) in the Plainedge School District’s Special Education Program - Janice was off to a fantastic start. When Janice’s grandmother died, however, Janice noticed a decline in her mental health. After being terminated from her TA job, a tale too upsetting for her to recount due to the connection she felt towards…
My name is Nia and my life matters. I am the only child of a teenage mother who was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia.
 
Text Box: Achieving Financial SecurityI didn’t have many friends growing up because my mother separated me from my peers. I saw my mother being mistreated because of her condition and constantly worried about a future for my mother and me. Then, my grandparents were granted custody of me by Family Court…

A grateful mother's experience with the Long Island Head Start Program
"I am very happy with the Long Island Head Start Program. The program has provided my family with the opportunity to create an early learning environment and gives a lot of support to my husband and I regarding my children's development. One of my kids started in the Long Island Head Start Program in February 2012.
 
My husband and…

Joseph’s wife Helen is living with progressive MS and uses a wheelchair. Some years ago, as a devoted husband, Joseph began attending a support group offered by the National MS Society -Long Island Chapter. He quickly became a dedicated and regular member.

As time moved on the group was no longer able to continue to meet due to a turnover in volunteer leadership which caused membership to dwindle. Joseph, who saw the value of the group…