Viscardi Receives First DEIA Category Award

The winners of the 11th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards were announced live to over 450 attendees and hundreds of live-stream viewers at the hybrid event on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY. The Imagine Awards were created to shine a light on some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. Over 190 nonprofit applications were submitted to win $5,000 grants in each of six categories: Arts & Culture, Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and NEW for 2023 – Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). Of this pool of worthy applicants, 24 were selected as finalists, each of which will receive $1,000, and one in each category was announced as the category winner.

The Viscardi Center was the recipient of the first DEIA Award bestowed. This recognition is a testament to the Center’s unwavering commitment to its vision to accelerate a more accessible, inclusive world for all people. In this brief video our CEO, Dr. Chris Rosa shares the value of DEIA and the importance of including people with disabilities.

“The Long Island Imagine Awards is the Academy Awards of the Long Island nonprofit sector,” said Ken Cerini, event founder and partner of Bohemia-based accounting firm, Cerini & Associates, LLC. “With all of the struggles the nonprofit sector has grappled with over the last few years, it is awesome to have a night like this to really highlight all the amazing work that’s happening in the sector. The event was even better this year with the addition of SterlingRisk Insurance as a platinum sponsor, providing $1,000 to each of the 24 finalists, the creation of the new DEIA award, and the ability to once again be in person with more than 400 truly inspirational people celebrating the nonprofit sector.”

The 2023 Imagine Awards recipients are:

• • • Bethpage Federal Credit Union Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) – The Viscardi Center, Inc.
    • Cerini & Associates, LLP Social Impact Award – ECLI-Vibes
    • Certilman Balin Leadership Excellence Award – Eileen Minogue, Executive Director, Book Fairies
    • Claire Friedlander Family Foundation Arts & Culture Award – The Long Island Children’s Museum
    • Flagstar Bank Innovation Award – ACLD (Adults & Children with Learning & Developmental Disabilities)
    • Vanguard Benefits Rising Star Award – Hair We Share
    • Nerds That Care Fan Favorite Award – Family and Children’s Association

About The Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 on Long Island by Ken Cerini Managing Partner of Cerini & Associates, LLP. Honoring nonprofit organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Imagine Awards recognize outstanding performances in the sector. 2023 will represent the 11th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards imagineawardsli.com and the 3rd Annual event in NYC, NYCimagineawards.com.