Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Children across the Far Rockaway Peninsula are heading back to school in style, as more than 500 families came out for the St. John’s ICARE Foundation’s ninth annual community back-to-school wellness event.
The ICARE Foundation, created in 2021, supports the charitable and educational work of Episcopal Health Services. For this year’s event, it collected 1,200 backpacks, giving out over 500 outside St. John’s Episcopal Hospital on Aug. 15. The remaining backpacks were donated to partner organizations holding their own school supply giveaways.
Nancy Leghart, executive director of the St. John’s ICARE Foundation, said the event helps build confidence among local children as they prepare for the school year.
“We show people that we care about them and that they’re not alone,” Leghart said. “When you see all the different CBOs and vendors and National Grid and all those different organizations coming together to support the children, they feel confident, they’re starting off the school year feeling really good about themselves, and it gives them such an opportunity to start fresh.”
The event also offered health and wellness resources, including information on stroke prevention, screenings, and other medical services, aimed at connecting local families with doctors and specialists.
Karen Paige, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Episcopal Health Services, was one of the event’s top donors and helped secure the lunch bags distributed with the backpacks. Paige emphasized the hospital’s role as a community partner, not just a place to seek care when sick.
“I’m so proud of this event — it’s really one of my favorite events of the year,” Paige said. “It’s about being good partners. We don’t just want the community to come to us when they’re sick — we want to partner with them through many different events throughout the year.”
Volunteers from community groups like the Kiwanis Club and local scouting organizations also participated, offering additional school supplies for attendees to pick up.
Other participating groups included the Friends of the 59th Street Playground Association, Promenade Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, Beacon Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, and a number of city agencies. Each played a role in helping ensure families across the peninsula had the resources they needed to start the year strong.
Daniel Kasle, treasurer of the Episcopal Health Services board of trustees, said the hospital’s growing reputation is tied to its commitment to showing up for the community in moments like these.
“It goes farther than just treating patients,” Kasle said. “It really means being a partner to the community. Our reputation — our brand — has been developing in a positive way for the past decade, and this is just another way that we can show the community that we are behind them.”
