Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Rescuing Families hosted its annual Spring Craft Fair from April 26–27 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2718 in Franklin Square.
This year’s event featured 36 vendors, ranging from home bakers and knitters to graphic designers and woodworkers. Each set up shop inside the VFW to sell their crafts from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Gina Centauro, co-founder of Rescuing Families, said she put out applications for vendors interested in joining the craft fair in January. Some are regulars at the fair, Centauro said, and the charity keeps them on a list to contact when events are hosted. Other vendors reach out via social media or the organization’s website, RescuingFamilies.org.
Linda Lamberta, who has been friends with Centauro for around 40 years, said she and Centauro have been doing crafts together for over 20 years.
Lamberta creates and sells intricate decorations, hand-sewn clothing, embroidered hats, bedazzled sandals and more. She said the creative process varies greatly by project. Because her crafts require a range of artistic skills, each one takes on a life of its own.
“Sometimes you have an idea in your head and it doesn’t completely go in the direction you want it to,” she said. “You go down, you pick it up again. But I eventually end up loving what it becomes.”
She has worked with the charity since it was founded about nine years ago by Gina and her husband, Vincent Centauro. Lamberta now serves as a board member, helping to develop fundraising ideas through community events.
“The charity is very important to me,” Lamberta said. “It has a place in my heart because it’s for people who don’t have a voice. The disabled community gets overlooked.”
Giselle Rodriguez, founder of Custom Cakes by Giselle, sold homemade baked goods and lemonade at the fair. She started her business from home about 15 years ago and officially became a Limited Liability Company in 2020.
Rodriguez caters events such as sweet 16s, weddings and holidays. Her signature items include cookie jar cakes in flavors like cookies and cream and chocolate with cookie dough filling. She also sells “grandpa’s lemonade,” a vanilla-infused lemonade named after her father-in-law, Joseph Rodriguez.
“I always enjoy doing little pop-ups,” Rodriguez said. “Especially when it’s for a nonprofit. I believe in giving back to the community, so this is my little way of doing it.”
Rodriguez attends several craft fairs each year and can be contacted for special events through her Instagram account, @CustomCakesByGiselleLLC.
Megan Riecken, founder of Bookworm George Creations, sells crocheted plush toys including bees, cacti, chickens and mushrooms. She said she learned to crochet as a child, stopped for a time, and picked it back up a few years ago. This was her third year at the Spring Craft Fair.
“I like to know the money is going somewhere good,” Riecken said. “You know, there’s some good in the world out there. So, I want to be part of that.”
Each plush toy takes between 20 minutes and two days to complete, depending on size. Since crocheting is not her full-time job, she works on projects in the evenings and on weekends. Riecken also accepts custom requests through her Instagram account, @BookWormGeorgeCreations.
Liana Kramer, attending her first craft fair with Rescuing Families, sold handmade accessories such as keychains, bookmarks, pot toppers, earrings, coasters and more, alongside her sister Samm Kramer.
Liana began crafting over 20 years ago, starting with coasters. She earned a fashion design degree from Kent State University in 2018 and has since expanded into beading, sewing and knitting.
She said it’s important her work supports a good cause because that’s how her business began.
“My first sale was actually to a friend who has a charity in the name of her son,” Liana said. “That kind of built this desire to reach out and raise awareness for charities.”
Liana sells her creations on Etsy under the name Lazanny and shares her work on Instagram, @Lazanny_ArtAndDesign.
Joseph Mangiapanello, founder of Joe’s Wooden Creations, has been a longtime vendor at Rescuing Families events for the past three years.
Mangiapanello handcrafts wood items such as cutting boards, serving boards, keychain holders and engraved home décor. He primarily sells at craft fairs in Nassau County and accepts custom orders via Instagram, @JoesWoodenCreationsLLC.
One of his favorite aspects of craft fairs is face-to-face interaction with customers.
“I just enjoy them, their organization, and this whole family,” Mangiapanello said of the charity and vendors. “I feel like I’m giving back in a way that’s not just making sales.”
All proceeds from the fair, Centauro said, go toward helping disabled families with home renovations to meet their needs and improve accessibility. The charity’s most recent project began May 8, with volunteers renovating the home of Douglas Reyes in Valley Stream.
Centauro said the fair benefits the community by giving local business owners an opportunity to network and advertise their products and services.
“More people found out that, hey, we have people in our community that actually create these beautiful things,” Centauro said. “We always like to support local crafts people.”
