Long Island Business News
Finalists announced for Long Island Imagine Awards

By: Bernadette Starzee
February 5, 2019

Finalists were announced for the Long Island Imagine Awards, an annual competition that grants $5,000 apiece to five nonprofit organizations.

More than 170 applications were received for this year’s awards program, now in its seventh year, and four finalists were announced in each of five categories.

The finalists for the social impact award are Island Harvest Food Bank, Long Island Crisis Center, The Corporate Source and Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk.

The award for leadership excellence will go to either Karen Boorshtein of Family Service League, Mary Hodge of Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, Janet Koch of Life’s WORC or Ellenmorris Tiegerman of Tiegerman.

Finalists for the innovation award are the Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, Developmental Disabilities Institute, Paws of War and United Way of Long Island.

An arts and culture award will be given to either Bay Street Theater, the Gold Coast Arts Center, the Hofstra University Museum of Art or the Nassau County Museum of Art.

Finally, General Needs Ltd., Helping Makes U Happy, the John Theissen Children’s Foundation and Smile Farms are in the running for the rising star award.

“The nonprofit sector is so important to the very fabric of Long Island; it benefits all of us,” Ken Cerini, managing partner of Bohemia-based accounting firm Cerini & Associates and founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards, said in a statement. “It is important that we recognize the impactful and innovative work that nonprofits are doing every day to change lives and showcase the top nonprofits on Long Island to foster collaboration and support not only in the nonprofit sector, but across all sectors.”

The awards will be announced live at an April 30 reception at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.