Community Corner
Meet The Charity: Vinny's Army, Which Supports Children With Cancer
As part of its mission, Vinny's Army provides financial assistance to children battling cancer.
NORTH MASSAPEQUA, 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.
Find out what's happening in Massapequawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What is your name?
Valerie Cusumano
Find out what's happening in Massapequawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
What is the name of your charity?
Vinny's Army
What is your position within your charity?
Director
What community is your organization based in
North Massapequa
Link to your website
What is your mission?
Vinny’s Army is dedicated to supporting children diagnosed with cancer, and their families. Inspired by our son Vinny’s courageous battle, we provide unwavering love and support to ensure no family faces this battle alone. Enlist in our army and help us create smiles and spread love, hope, strength, and resilience.
What does your charity do to further its mission? Please list examples.
Vinny's Army has provided financial assistance to children battling cancer, as well as donated fun items to children based on their likes. We have also donated a gaming system to a local hospital pediatric unit to help kids pass the long hours while in the hospital for treatment. We also provide Soldier Sacks — bags filled with age-appropriate items to keep kids busy and their mind off of treatment.
What inspired you to start your charity?
When our son, Vinny, was 10 years old, he was diagnosed with a very rare and very aggressive cancer in his kidney. We received so much love and support from our family, friends, community and even complete strangers. We knew that we had to pay that forward and we have now made it our mission to help any pediatric cancer warrior.
How can people help you accomplish your organization's mission or get involved in events?
Please visit our website to keep up to date with events we hold, as well as how to make a monetary donation.
What is the most memorable moment you've had since starting your organization?
Our blood drive. Even though we were not an official nonprofit at the time, we hosted a blood drive in the summer of 2023 in our community. The results were staggering! We received over 150 blood donations in a day! The community and public really showed up that day to help save over 500 lives with their donations.
What else would you like people to know about your charity?
We are small and just starting out but we just want to help as many children as we can. We know first hand the impact that pediatric cancer has on a child and their family. We want anyone that is going through the same battle to know that they are not alone and we will help them however we can - even if it is just a shoulder to cry on.
What are your organization's social media pages or handles?
IG- vinnys_army; TikTok- vinnys.army; X- VinnysArmy; Facebook- Vinny's Army
Do you help run a charity?
Nominate it here or share this link with someone who does.
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