Press Releases Archives - Friends of Karen

Friends of Karen delivers gifts and smiles for the holidays with your help

admin — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 16:56:26 +0000

Annual Adopt-A-Family Program Fulfills Wish Lists of Critically-Ill Children and Their Siblings

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan Lewis
Friends of Karen
118 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560
914-617-4042 or JonathanLewis@friendsofkaren.org

NORTH SALEM, NY, November 14, 2023 — Help Friends of Karen deliver gifts and smiles for the holidays! Nearly 900 Holiday Wish Lists need to be filled this year. Join us in helping fulfill a child’s wish list or fill the lists for several children.

You will be the reason our children smile this holiday season.
Every child looks forward to the holidays, but when parents are struggling to care for a child battling cancer or another life-threatening illness, there’s no time for shopping or even thinking about gifts. You can make sure Friends of Karen children get to celebrate the holidays by taking part in our Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program. Each child sends us a wish list, and we match them with a kind-hearted person who purchases one or more of the gifts on the list.

You can help our children celebrate the holidays by purchasing one gift for one child or several gifts for several children. And if you don’t have a lot of time, we welcome cash donations and we’ll do the shopping for you.

To participate, and get matched with a child’s wish list or lists, please email allisonwatson@friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 617-4052.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by putting a smile on the face of a seriously ill child and helping to create memories for their entire family? If you would like to make a donation online visit

Send checks and gifts to:

Holiday Adopt-a-Family
c/o Friends of Karen
118 Titicus Road
North Salem NY 10560

Long Island donors please call
631-473-1768 Ext. 903

About Friends of Karen: Friends of Karen, established in 1978, provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. Friends of Karen serves families living in the New York tri-state region and offers its lifeline of support services at no cost to them so they have more time for what’s most important: each other. Friends of Karen has received top ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the financial efficiency and responsibility of all qualifying U.S. charities. Friends of Karen also meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York.

For more information, visit friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 277-4547.

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Friends of Karen elects Steven Connolly, Dr. Gina Lodolini and Dr. Sarah Norris to serve on its Board of Directors.

admin — Thu, 18 May 2023 15:29:14 +0000

Judith Factor
Friends of Karen
118 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560
914-617-4041 judithfactor@friendsofkaren.org

NORTH SALEM, NY – May 8, 2023: Friends of Karen, a nonprofit organization that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families living in the Tri-State area, announced that Steven Connolly, Dr. Gina Lodolini and Dr. Sarah Norris have been elected as members of the Board of Directors.

	Steven Connolly, president of Co-Source Solutions, a firm that provides business consulting and hiring expertise, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and then spent several years in public accounting, earning his CPA designation in 1991. He then moved into the P&C Insurance industry, where he worked his way up from staff accountant to controller before founding Co-Source Solutions in 2005. Mr. Connolly has been a longtime member of Friends of Karen’s Long Island Advisory Board.
	Gina Lodolini is a Pediatric Dentist with a practice in Mount Kisco, NY. She graduated from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and focused on dental care for special needs children during her residency at Montefiore Medical Center. She is currently involved with the Westchester Institute for Human Development where she provides dental services to children in long-term care facilities.
	Sarah Norris is the Director of the Quality in Life Team and the Director of Pediatric Palliative Care at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. She is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Norris’s research focus is on primary palliative care education and family decision making regarding medical technology.

“The Friends of Karen Board of Directors is delighted to welcome such an esteemed group of new members. Each offers a wealth of knowledge and experience. I am confident that Sarah, Steve, and Gina will be tremendous assets to the board as we continue our work on behalf of this amazing organization.” says Richard Sgaglio, president of the charity’s Board of Directors.

Each new member will serve a two-year term on the Board of Directors.

For more information about the work of Friends of Karen, please visit friendsofkaren.org

About Friends of Karen

Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen’s steadfast support assures that no family will have to face their child’s life-threatening illness alone. The organization, celebrating its 45^th anniversary in 2023, assists hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them. Friends of Karen meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York. Most recently, Friends of Karen earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2023.

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Friends of Karen Celebrates Selection as an ACME GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program Beneficiary

admin — Mon, 01 May 2023 16:29:41 +0000

Jonathan Lewis
Friends of Karen
914-617-4042

jonathanlewis@friendsofkaren.org

North Salem, NY – Friends of Karen has been selected as a beneficiary of the ACME GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program for the month of May. The ACME GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program, which launched in August 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work.

Friends of Karen was selected as the May beneficiary of the program by store leadership at the ACME located in Goldens Bridge, NY. Friends of Karen will receive a $1 donation every time the $3.00 reusable GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag is purchased at this location during the month of May, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the Giving Tag attached to the bag.

“We are honored and grateful to be selected as the beneficiary of such a wonderful program,” said Judith Factor, Executive Director of Friends of Karen. “We will use the proceeds from this program to provide vital financial, emotional, and practical support needed by Friends of Karen families with a critically ill child to help them get through each challenging day.”

Friends of Karen is the only organization in the New York Tri-State area that provides comprehensive support, at no cost, to families caring for a child with cancer or another life-threatening illness.

Learn more about Friends of Karen by visiting friendsofkaren.org. For more information on the ACME GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Reusable Bag Program, visit acme.2givelocal.com

About Friends of Karen
Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen gives them more time for what’s most important: each other. The organization assists hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them. Friends of Karen has received top ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the financial efficiency and responsibility of U.S. charities. Friends of Karen meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York. Most recently, Friends of Karen earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2023. #####

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Give a spring holiday meal to a family with a critically ill child

admin — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 14:16:27 +0000

Jonathan Lewis
Friends of Karen
914-617-4042
jonathanlewis@friendsofkaren.org

Give a Spring Holiday Meal to a Family with a Critically Ill Child

North Salem, NY, March 1, 2023 – In this season of springtime holidays – Passover, Easter, Ramadan — Friends of Karen is seeking donations of supermarket gift cards to feed critically ill children and their families so they can enjoy a special springtime holiday meal.

Food insecurity is a significant problem for Friends Karen families who are torn between paying illness-related bills and caring for their ill child. And now, with the steady increase in food prices, families need help more than ever.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer or another life-threatening illness, parents feel like their lives are spinning out of control. Family life and structure is turned upside down and choices in many aspects of life become limited due to the economic and emotional burden cancer places on the family.

With the donation of supermarket gift cards, Friends of Karen can give families a holiday meal based on their traditions and individual circumstances. They are asking for donations of gift cards to ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Key Food, Target, Walmart, American Express, Visa or Mastercard. A gift of $50, $75 or more will help feed a family of four.

If you cannot shop for a gift card, Friends of Karen will gratefully accept a donation of any amount and they will purchase the gift card for you!

Call Allison Watson at (914) 617-4054 for more information.

Please mail donations to:

Friends of Karen
Spring Feed a Family Program
118 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560

About Friends of Karen
Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen gives them more time for what’s most important: each other. The organization assists hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them. Friends of Karen has received top ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the financial efficiency and responsibility of more than 9,000 U.S. charities. Friends of Karen also meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York. Most recently, Friends of Karen earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2023.

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Celebrate the holiday spirit by giving to a child

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 18:21:06 +0000

North Salem, NY, November 10, 2022 — Help Friends of Karen deliver gifts and smiles for the holidays! Nearly 900 Holiday Wish Lists need to be filled this year. Join us in helping fulfill a child’s wish list or fill the lists for several children. You will be the reason our children smile this holiday season.

Every child looks forward to the holidays, but when parents are struggling to care for a child battling cancer or another life-threatening illness, there’s no time for shopping or even thinking about gifts. You can make sure Friends of Karen children get to celebrate the holidays by taking part in our Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program. Each child sends us a wish list, and we match them with a kind-hearted person who purchases one or more of the gifts on the list.

To participate, and get matched with a child’s wish list or lists, please email DeniseTredwell@friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 617-4052.

Send checks and gifts to:

Holiday Adopt-a-Family
c/o Friends of Karen
118 Titicus Road,
North Salem NY 10560

Long Island donors please call 631-473-1768 Ext. 903

About Friends of Karen: Friends of Karen, established in 1978, provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. Friends of Karen serves families living in the New York tri-state region and offers its lifeline of support services at no cost to them so they have more time for what’s most important: each other. Friends of Karen has received top ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the financial efficiency and responsibility of all qualifying U.S. charities. Friends of Karen also meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York.

For more information, visit friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 277-4547.

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Friends of Karen Announces New Board President

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:20:00 +0000

Based in North Salem, nonprofit supports children with life-threatening illnesses

Richard Sgaglio

North Salem, NY – March 30, 2022: Friends of Karen, a nonprofit organization that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, announced Richard Sgaglio will serve as the new President of its Board of Directors. Outgoing President Paul Smadbeck, known for his dedication to the organization for 26 years, will continue to serve on the Board.

Friends of Karen provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with life-threatening illnesses to help keep their families stable and functioning. Founded in North Salem, Friends of Karen now serves families throughout the New York Metropolitan area. The organization is led by longtime Executive Director Judy Factor, who also works closely with volunteers in the community.

Paul Smadbeck, a longtime resident of North Salem and Managing Director at JLL, a major commercial real estate professional services company, began volunteering with Friends of Karen in 1996. He has served on the Board of Directors since 2006 and was its President for the past six years. On March 28 Smadbeck turned over the reins of President to North Salem resident Richard Sgaglio, who is Vice President of Marketing and Development at The Osborn in Rye, NY.

Smadbeck’s tenure on the Board has been filled with notable accomplishments. “The greatest reward has been working in concert with the Friends of Karen professionals to touch the lives of families in need,” he says. “I’d like to think I gave my best as a partner to our Executive Director Judy Factor. If she has felt unwavering support from the Board, I would consider that my greatest accomplishment.”

Factor confirms that “Paul has been a wonderful, supportive, proactive Board president who helped Friends of Karen during both good and challenging times. His direction and leadership were vital during the recent pandemic, which impacted all we do, from supporting families to conducting day-to-day business and fundraising.”

New Board of Directors President Richard Sgaglio says he is honored to have been chosen to succeed Paul. “He’s been a mentor and a role model for me and the rest of the Board, so I have large shoes to fill. I look forward to serving and building on Paul’s success for the benefit of this organization.”

Asked about goals for his term as President, Sgaglio says he “…hopes to continue guiding Friends of Karen through the many challenges ahead; emerging from the pandemic is just one of them. Along with our 18-member Board and dedicated staff headed by Judy Factor, we’re well-positioned to continue Sheila Petersen’s legacy. Our first priority will always be helping families with critically ill children, so they can focus on treatment and not worry about finances.”

Friends of Karen began in 1978 when North Salem resident Sheila Petersen reached out to a neighborhood family whose child, Karen MacInnes, suffered from a rare, terminal disease. Petersen’s legacy has endured over the past 44 years, assisting more than 17,000 children and their families living in the New York tri-state area with basic needs, care management and social work services. The work is performed by a caring staff that includes a team of licensed social workers, child life specialists and creative arts therapists who help families navigate the healthcare system and the financial and emotional challenges of having a critically ill child.

Other officers recently re-elected to the Board include Laura Salerno Evans (Vice President) of New York City, Sharon Weiner (Secretary) of Pound Ridge and Tom Jocelyn (Treasurer) of Yorktown Heights. For more information about the work of Friends of Karen, please visit https://www.friendsofkaren.org/

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Celebrate the holiday spirit by giving to a child

admin — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 13:35:00 +0000

NORTH SALEM, NY, November 10, 2021 — Help Friends of Karen deliver gifts and smiles for the holidays! Nearly 900 Holiday Wish Lists need to be filled this year. Join us in helping fulfill a child’s wish list or fill the lists for several children. You will be the reason our children smile this holiday season.

Each child sends us a wish list, and we match them with a kind-hearted person who purchases one or more of the gifts on the list. Every child looks forward to the holidays, but when parents are caring for a child with a life-threatening illness, preparing for the holidays is emotionally and financially difficult. We want them to have joyful memories, even in the midst of illness and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic, a double health crisis for Friends of Karen families.

To participate, and get matched with a holiday wish list or lists, please email DeniseTredwell@friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 617-4052.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than by putting a smile on the face of a sick child and helping to create memories for their entire family? If you would like to make a donation online visit https://bit.ly/fok-adopt-a-family

Send checks and gifts to:

Holiday Adopt-a-Family

c/o Friends of Karen

118 Titicus Road,

North Salem NY 10560

LI donors please call

631-473-1768 Ext. 903.

For more information, visit friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 277-4547.

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Friends of Karen Gets Ready for Back to School 2021

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 13:42:00 +0000

It has undoubtedly been a year like no other for all of us, but for the critically ill children and their families served by Friends of Karen, life remains complicated. As the rest of the world prepares to return to something a bit more normal, our families are still experiencing severe financial hardships added to the overwhelming stress of their child’s illness.

Friends of Karen’s 2021 Back to School program will address today’s educational needs for our critically ill children and siblings, who may or may not be able to attend in-person school programs due to their illness. The children need your help NOW.

Friends of Karen’s mission is to help families with a child battling cancer or another life-threatening illness in NY, NJ and CT. The organization is unique in that it customizes the assistance they provide. When a child is seriously ill, it affects the entire family so Friends of Karen social workers work with each family member. This includes child life specialists and creative arts therapists who provide sibling support to the other children in the family. Treatment can last many months or even years, but Friends of Karen is there with an individualized program of emotional, financial and day-to-day practical support. No family is ever the same after a diagnosis like this, but they can remain strong and functioning if they are not alone. Friends of Karen is there every step of the way.

Will you help our children have a successful school year?

You can help us reach our goal to provide 750 children with gift cards for school supplies and new clothing, and funds to cover internet access for school work and support from Friends of Karen’s family support team.

We cannot reach our goal without you!

Here’s how you can help.

$25 – $100 cash or gift card donations to Target, Walmart, Amazon, Staples, Visa and Mastercard will help provide necessary school supplies and new clothing for Friends of Karen children.
$150 will help provide an ill child and well siblings with school supplies, and internet access for school work, and support from our family support team.
$250 will help provide an ill child and well siblings with school supplies, new clothing, and internet access for school work, and support from our family support team.

Please Support Back to School 2021. Donate online using our secure server
https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=GwKu9L

Send checks and gift cards to:

Back to School c/o Friends of Karen;

118 Titicus Road; North Salem NY 10560

Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to collect school supplies.

For more information: denisetredwell@friendsofkaren.org or call 914-617-4052

LI donors please call 631-473-1768.

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Friends of Karen Celebrates Selection as a Stop & Shop Community Bag Program Beneficiary

admin — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 21:35:37 +0000

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jonathan Lewis
Friends of Karen
118 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560
914-617-4042 or JonathanLewis@friendsofkaren.org

North Salem, New York – Friends of Karen has been selected as a beneficiary of the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program for the month of January.

The Stop & Shop Community Bag Program, which launched in May 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work.

Friends of Karen was selected as the January beneficiary of the program by store leadership at the Stop & Shop located at 125 Danbury Road, Ridgefield CT. Friends of Karen will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at this location during January.

Judith Factor, Executive Director of Friends of Karen, expressed her gratitude.

“We thank Stop & Shop for selecting Friends of Karen to benefit from this exceptional program. The funds generated will be utilized to provide essential financial, emotional, and practical assistance to families in our community who are caring for a child with cancer or other life-threatening illness. This support will help them navigate through the difficulties they face on a daily basis.”

For more information on Friends of Karen visit friendsofkaren.org or call (914) 277-4547. For more information on the Stop & Shop Community Bag Program, visit stopandshop.2givelocal.com.

About Friends of Karen

Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen gives them more time for what’s most important: each other. The organization assists hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them. Friends of Karen has received top ratings from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates the financial efficiency and responsibility of U.S. charities. Friends of Karen meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York. Most recently, Friends of Karen earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2023.

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Friends of Karen elects Yemi Oluwole to serve on its Board of Directors.

admin — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 15:18:00 +0000

North Salem, NY – February 15, 2024: Friends of Karen, a nonprofit organization that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, announced that Yemi Oluwole will serve as a member of the Board of Directors.

Yemi Oluwole is a Portfolio General Auditor – Vice President, in the American Express Company’s Internal Audit Department where he oversees audits of various business units. He is a Certified Public Accountant and obtained a BSc in Accounting from Pace University. He is very passionate about helping children in unfortunate situations. He enjoys golfing, playing any sport with a racquet or bat, and traveling the world.

“We are delighted to welcome Yemi to our board of directors. His background in finance and his ongoing commitment to childhood health and hunger issues will be a valuable asset to our board. We are fortunate to have recruited such a dedicated individual and we look forward to working with him,” says Richard Sgaglio, President of the charity’s Board of Directors.

For more information about the work of Friends of Karen, please visit friendsofkaren.org

About Friends of Karen

Friends of Karen is a non-profit organization that provides emotional, financial and advocacy support for children with a life-threatening illness and their families in order to help keep them stable, functioning, and able to cope. For families living in the New York tri-state region, Friends of Karen’s steadfast support assures that no family will have to face their child’s life-threatening illness alone. The organization, celebrating its 46^th anniversary in 2024, assists hundreds of ill children and their families every month, at no cost to them. Friends of Karen meets the 20 Standards of Charity Accountability of the BBB of Metropolitan New York. Most recently, Friends of Karen earned the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency in 2024.

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