This fall has been busy for the causes we care about at Fortunoff Jewelry. Our community work is a very important component of our business, as it always was for my parents and grandparents. I believe strongly in many Long Island organizations, especially those that focus on women.

Fortunoff Jewelry hosted an evening fundraiser for Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas during October, coordinated by Women for Singas and chaired by Charlene Prounis and Marie Pinckney. (In the photo here, l. to r. are DA Singas, me, Pinckney, and Prounis.)

DA Singas, who is running for re-election on Nov. 5, has a record of significantly decreasing crime and working collaboratively to reduce opioid overdose deaths in Nassau County – both are down by 25%.

Her office also works collaboratively with a host of different agencies on programs such as a 24-hour crisis center for addicts who are released from hospitals with nowhere to go.

The DA’s staff does outreach in schools as well, bringing people in who’ve been convicted to talk about their mistakes. They demonstrate to kids that life is full of second chances to go in a different direction. I’ve heard Madeline speak a number of times, and I never tire of her important messages. You can learn more about her here: https://madelinesingas.com/.

As vice president of the board of The Safe Center LI, I attended the center’s Every Home a Safe Home fundraiser gala this month, too. The Safe Center has a mission to protect, assist, and empower victims of family violence and sexual assault on Long Island, while challenging and changing social systems that tolerate and perpetuate abuse.

Here I am at the gala, pictured with honoree John P. DiMascio, Jr., Esq. of DiMascio & Associates, and Gail Broder Katz, Esq., the pro bono project coordinator for the center. Because October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, The Safe Center LI has been having a series of events. If you are able and this vital issue interests you, I'd encourage you to get involved. You can learn more via the Safe Center's website, http://www.tscli.org/.

I also attended a Long Island Center for Business & Professional Women event recently at the Muttontown Club. The LI Center is dedicated to advancing women’s equal participation, leadership and employment in business, industry, and the professions, through networking opportunities, member education, community involvement, and personal and professional development.

The speaker that day was Andrea Correale, president of Elegant Affairs Caterers, who spoke about her business and celebrity clientele.  Here I am (l. to r.) with Correale, Karen Tenenbaum of Tenenbaum Law, and Lisa von Frank, director of sales and marketing at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. You can learn more about membership in the center here: https://www.licenter.org/.

Getting involved in local organizations makes all of us at Fortunoff Jewelry feel a part of our larger community here on Long Island, and we’re committed to the people we serve. Please join us where you can.