Community Corner
Meet The Charity: The Gino Macchio Foundation Of LI Creates Environmental Sustainability
The charity helps people on the path of recovery through purposeful employment. It also fosters clean waterways through oyster farming.
LONG ISLAND, NY — Local charities are the unsung heroes of our communities. Nonprofit and not-for-profit organizations strive to create lasting change and positively impact the lives of those around them.
Some people start organizations as a way to cope with grief, some see an issue they want to tackle, and some want to bring lasting change. Sometimes, all those reasons apply.
Patch wants to highlight your local charity and connect it with community members who want to help and do good, so that way, more people can benefit. Here is just one of many charities doing terrific work in your community.
What is your name?
Ken Daly
What is the name of your charity?
The Gino Macchio Foundation
What is your position within your charity?
Executive Director
What community is your organization based in?
Long Island
Link to your website
What is your mission?
The Gino Macchio Foundation is a not for profit corporation established in 2019. Through the power of giving, ingenuity and education we are creating sustainability while transforming lives and the environment in which we all live.
What does your charity do to further its mission? Please list examples.
Our Put Recovery to Work Program helps transform lives by supporting people in recovery stay on track through purposeful employment. Through individualized scholarships, the foundation pays for necessities that may include transportation to and from work, whether it's for UBER or a vehicle, counseling fees, meeting rent or mortgage payments, employer pay subsidy, proper work attire, and other barriers that would get in the way of maintaining employment.
The Oyster Project focuses on harnessing the power of the oyster's contribution to cleaner waterways, being the natural filters they are, by increasing the oyster population. We support oyster reef construction and sustainable farming by funding and working directly with oyster farmers and research scientists.
What inspired you to start your charity?
The Foundation’s mission is inspired by the late Gino Macchio, whose young life was tragically taken from his family and friends in a left-turn motorcycle accident in May of 2018. Gino had a vision to save the Great South Bay through oyster repopulation, using smarter technology and efficient methods. And, as an individual in sustained recovery himself, he helped people in recovery rise above the stigma and barriers to sustained recovery. Inspired by his life motto: "I Got You," Gino’s family and friends have picked up his mantle to carry on his life's mission to help others.
How can people help you accomplish your organization's mission or get involved in events?
We accept donations in support of our mission. In addition we welcome the public to attend events we host throughout the year to benefit our programs. Business owners can adopt Recovery Friendly Workplace strategies and open up their hiring processes to accept people who are determined to stay in recovery get that second chance.
What is the most memorable moment you've had since starting your organization?
It was seeing our scholarship recipients, one year after finishing their scholarships, go on to live happy, productive, meaningful lives reaching milestones that at one time might have seemed unachievable.
What else would you like people to know about your charity?
What are your organization's social media pages or handles?
IG: @ginomacchiofoundation | FB: @GINOMACCHIOFOUNDATION |
in: https://www.linkedin.com/compa... | YouTube: @ginomacchiofoundation6526
Do you help run a charity?
Nominate it here or share this link with someone who does.
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