Honoring a 'global healer'

    Life’s WORC, private, not-for-profit organization providing support for individuals with developmental disabilities, has announced that the honoree of its upcoming annual holiday gala will be Dr. Bill Akpinar, a world-renowned leader in the restoration of health and well-being.
    The event, which will take place on December 3 at the Garden City Hotel, is an opportunity for all of Life’s WORC supporters to recognize both the achievements of “Dr. Bill,” as he is affectionately known, and that of this organization, now in its 39th year. A close friend described him as “having more degrees than a thermometer.”
      Akpinar currently serves as dean and medical director of the University of Natural Medicine and founder of the University of Health and Spiritual Sciences. From tending to the health care needs of tribal people or lepers in the Peruvian Amazon, to helping people with life-threatening problems in the mountains of Tibet, he is there to lend a hand and help establish a standard of care. An author of four books, Akpinar has an insatiable quest for knowledge — which has him involved in research related to the care and counseling of those in need. “I am a lifelong student,” he said.
    Founded in 1971, Life’s WORC serves over 1,200 individuals and families and maintains 36 homes and 12 non-residential homes throughout Nassau, Queens and Suffolk counties. 
    This holiday event will feature a cocktail reception, a world-class cuisine dinner, dancing, entertainment and a raffle drawing for fabulous prizes.
     “Our holiday gala is one of our most important fundraisers, and we look to the corporate and private sectors to lend their support in any way they can,” said Matt Zebatto, Life WORC’s assistant executive director of development and public Affairs. “Everyone should know that 90 cents of every dollar received by Life’s WORC is spent directly on services for the developmentally-disabled individuals we support.”
    For more information regarding tickets or sponsoring opportunities, contact Zebatto at (516) 741-9000, ext. 241.