PLAINVIEW, NY — After an $8 million naming gift from Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation, Mid Island Y JCC in Plainview has been renamed to Manes JCC.
Manes has been a longtime member of the organization, first joining the JCC through an exercise class. He is an active Long Island community member, including as an orthopedic surgeon, attorney, author, and philanthropist, Manes JCC said.
Manes said he hopes the gift will help the agency support the people who need it most.
"This organization has given so much to this community for so long, and I have felt that impact firsthand," he said.
He and his children oversee the Manes Peace Prize Foundation, which, according to its website, awards money to people and groups that promote "peace and goodwill between nations, races, religions, health, education or welfare."
The donation to Plainview's JCC will go toward immediate projects and long-term investments, with a few already underway, like the resealing and restriping of the parking lot, installing a new floor in the group fitness studio, and replacing fitness equipment.
CEO Rick Lewis said the organization is grateful for the naming donation.
"We have grown and flourished for 70 years because people who believe in this community have chosen to invest in it," Lewis said. "This gift from Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes Peace Prize Foundation is the newest, and one of the most significant chapters in that story."
The 70-year-old nonprofit Jewish Community Center provides programs, services, and community to people across Long Island.
Manes JCC said this name change will not change its mission, and instead represents "an investment in the organization's future."
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