Farmingdale State College Gets $25K Grant From Ferro Foundation

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale State College was awarded a $25,000 gift from the Ferro Foundation, which will support students, as well as increased recruitment and retention efforts for the college, beginning this fall, the school announced.

The scholarship was established with funding secured by the Ferro Foundation through the Clark Gillies Foundation, in honor and memory of the many contributions National Hockey League legend Clark Gillies made to Long Island, both on and off the ice.

"We are enormously grateful to receive this wonderful, student-focused gift," said John S. Nader, president of Farmingdale State College, in a news release. "It is a genuine reflection of the selfless spirit shared by two exceptional Long Islanders: Sal Ferro, an exemplary alum and remarkable citizen, and Clark Gillies, a charismatic force of greatness in the NHL, in our community and among his family and friends."

The Ferro Foundation, founded by FSC alumnus Sal Ferro, is a non-profit corporation established in 2017 to help Long Islanders in need, with a focus on students, seniors, and veterans. Its mission is to make a lasting and positive difference in the lives of deserving Long Islanders in need, while inspiring others to do the same. Ferro is the former Alure Home Improvements' president and CEO and is now a Town of Huntington councilman.

Gillies, known as "The Power Forward," was a Hockey Hall of Famer and four-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders. In early 2022, he died of cancer at age 67. He is remembered by many as a friend to everyone, a tower of strength on the ice, and a pillar of the Long Island community, Farmingdale State College wrote.

Gillies was committed to the region both during his playing career and after. He began The Clark Gillies Foundation, a non-profit organization developed to help children who are physically, developmentally, or financially challenged. Its goal is to improve their quality of life; and 100 percent of its proceeds go directly to people in need.

"Over the years, Clark has helped so many," Ferro said. "He has been a role model and inspiration for me. He taught me so much about the giving spirit and social responsibility. It means so much to me to set up a scholarship in Clark's name for Farmingdale State College."

Ferro is a member of the Farmingdale College Foundation Board of Directors.

The Ferro Foundation plans to grow the Clark Gillies Scholarship into a $50,000 endowment in the coming years, the college wrote. This is the second endowed scholarship and third gift funded by the Ferro Foundation with the Farmingdale College Foundation.

In May 2021, the Ferro Foundation made a $50,000 contribution to create The Ferro Family Scholarship supporting Farmingdale Business students. In 2019, Ferro established a fund to help FSC students purchase textbooks.