This past Thursday night the seven members of the 2023 Board of Long Island’s Tribute and Honor Foundation were sworn in by Mayor Panzenbeck, the relatively young organization announced the creation of a scholarship honoring Korean War veteran Ben Farnan, and the foundation’s president shared that the foundation recently secured their 501(c)(3) non-profit status.
“It was a big night for us,” exclaimed Foundation President Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews. He shared his thoughts following a short swearing-in ceremony officiated by Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck at the Glen Cove City Hall. “The board, volunteers, Liaison Members, and so many others worked hard in securing our non-profit status and we have been postponing our swearing-in ceremony until this major milestone was achieved. Tonight’s event is one we will all remember and it was made especially rich in our being able to announce the establishment of the Ben Farnan Scholarship.”
The Tribute and Honor Foundation (formerly Phoenix Rising Committee) began as the creative idea of local voice and speech coach, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews. While Stevenson-Mathews is not a veteran, he comes from a military family with a father who served in the Navy, a mother who served in the Cadet Nurse Corp. in World War II, and a brother, Retired Colonel J. Hunter Mathews, who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan.
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In December of 2021, in response to a fire at VFW Post 347, Stevenson-Mathews reached out to his good friend, Chef Jeanine DiMenna, of Glen Cove’s The View Grill, and they joined with a few other friends to create the Phoenix Rising Awards. The event, which honored local veterans and raised funds to help with the rebuild of VFW Post 347, was unusually successful. In fact, it was so successful that the group decided to form a foundation and produce the awards ceremony annually. “Yes, we were pleased to have created a vehicle to raise funds and people were so very generous,” explained Stevenson-Mathews. “However, the award ceremony aspect of the celebration was also significant. It gave us an opportunity to not only join with the community in paying tribute to veterans from various organizations on the North Shore, but it also gave us an opportunity to highlight important causes.”
To date, with the gracious support of the community, the young veteran support organization has helped sponsor programs such as the VetNow Program at the Glen Cove Library, has honored close to twenty Long Island veterans and veteran supporters via the Phoenix Rising Awards, and has raised over forty thousand dollars to aid Glen Cove’s local VFW post with the rebuild of their hall following a devastating fire in August of 2021.
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The 2023 Tribute and Honor Foundation board sworn in on Thursday evening include the following members: President and Founder, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews; 1st Vice President and Founding Member, Connie Pinilla, Esq.; 2nd Vice President and Legal Counsel, Harold Bollaci, Esq.; Secretary and Founding Member, Angelina Stanco-Stone; Treasurer, Thomas Bunger; Founding Board Member, Mike Gadaleta; and, Board Member, Lydia Wen Rodgers.
Others directly involved in the foundation’s mission include Jeanine DiMenna, who serves as Co-Founder and Member Emeritus, and the Liaison Committee including John Blazich and John Sullivan (Glen Cove Boy Scout Troop 6), Eva Casale (Team E.V.A.), Virginia Gaudio Cervasio (Heroes Among Us), Wayne Cohen (Patriot Guard Riders of New York and Rolling Thunder Inc.), Fred DiMenna, PhD (Community Support), Roger Kilfoil (Honor Flight Long Island), Dr. Maxine Mayreis (Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce) Andrea Nordquist (Military Blue Star Mothers NY 14), Susan Rassekh (Glen Cove Hospital Northwell Health) Howard Stillwagon (VFW Post 347) and, Mary Suddell (Glen Cove and Emerge Centers for Nursing and Rehabilitation).
“I know those involved in the foundation and am aware of their commitment to our veterans. I was pleased to be invited to officiate at the swearing-in ceremony of the new board of the Tribute and Honor Foundation,” said Mayor Panzenbeck. “Any individual or organization that supports our veterans deserves our support. I have watched this organization grow and commend all of them for their work and commitment. Our veterans must always know that we are here to love and support them!”
Ben Farnan, who is a Korean War veteran and recipient of the Tribute and Honor Foundation’s 2022 Legacy Award, was presented a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of the Tribute and Honor Foundation commemorating the annual scholarship being named in his honor.
The Foundation’s 1st Vice President, Connie Pinilla, Esq., who also serves as President of the North Shore Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, joined Stevenson-Mathews in presenting the Legacy Award to Farnan at the inaugural award ceremony in 2022. “I was very honored to join Gaitley and the Foundation in presenting the Legacy Award to Mr. Farnan in 2022 and am thrilled that we are establishing this Scholarship in his honor,” said Pinilla. “Mr. Farnan’s commitment to his fellow veterans and to our community serves as an extraordinary example of how one can serve one’s community and one’s nation with great honor and integrity. When it was suggested that our annual scholarship be named in Mr. Farnan’s honor, I was very pleased to cast my vote in favor of the resolution. Mr. Farnan’s life will forever be held up as an example to our young people for generations to come.”
A portion of the proceeds from the 2024 Phoenix Rising Awards will be used to create an endowment to fund the scholarship and the award will be presented to a graduating senior each year who is either entering the military or entering a military academy.
“I was surprised when Gaitley called me,” said Farnan, “But, also so very touched that the Tribute and Honor Foundation has chosen to name their scholarship in my honor. The scholarship will hopefully make a real difference in a young person’s life who chooses to serve our country. I am very humbled but honored, especially due to the graciousness of the organization.”
The public is invited to the Tribute and Honor Fondations Annoucment Event and Press Conference to be held in Morgan Park this Sunday, September 24th, starting at 3:30 p.m. At the free event, the eight 2024 Phoneix Rising Award recipients will be announced and the public will have an opportunity to meet all of the honorees. Those attending the event are encouraged to arrive early to allow time to park and make their way to the base of the hill near Morgan Park Beach, where the ceremony will be held.
For tickets to the Annual Awards Ceremony as well as information on sponsorship opportunities, please visit the foundation’s website at www.phoenixrisingawards.com
