By:Nick Buglione
Part of the proceeds of the chamber-s second annual Culinary Delights event, on Monday, Oct. 25, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Marriott in Uniondale, will benefit the unit. It-s a wonderful unit that-s part of a vital East Meadow business, said Brandon Bloom, president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, on why the organization decided to donate money.
The event will feature food samples from some 15 local restaurants and five bakeries, as well as two wine stations and a Reingold beer station. A DJ will spin tunes, and an artist will be on hand to draw caricatures. Tickets are $40, and the chamber expects to sell at least 250, according to John Tufarelli, who is co-chairman of the event with Janine Kelly.
The chamber held its first Culinary Delights last year in order to introduce local residents to some of the restaurants in the area. Last year was such a success, we had to turn people away, Tufarelli said. The chamber is anticipating a far bigger affair this time around, switching venues from Club 2686 in Levittown, where it was held last year, to the Marriott, so all guests and participating restaurants could be accommodated.
We really didn-t have a chance to make last year-s event a fund-raiser, Tufarelli said, explaining that it was put together on pretty short notice.
With a little more time to plan this year, the chamber considered local organizations that could use some financial help. We were looking for a charity to partner with for this event, and when somebody suggested the [Neonatal Unit], we all thought it was a great idea, Bloom said.
Nassau University Medical Center has been struggling with serious financial difficulties in recent years, and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit can use all the help it can get, according to hospital spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg. The hospital recently purchased new echocardiographic equipment with money raised at a recent dinner dance. It cost anywhere from $60,000 to $80,000, and it has to have a major service contract, Lotenberg said.
The equipment enables doctors to quickly and painlessly gather detailed information about the anatomy and function of a baby-s heart. It is most useful in evaluating children born with heart defects and older kids with acquired heart conditions. The machine is portable, and can easily be brought to a patient-s bedside.
Funds donated to the unit will either help defray the service cost of the new equipment or help cover the cost of some other aspect of the unit, Lotenberg said.
Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce recently toured the neonatal unit, seeing first-hand the work that goes on there. It-s really a reality check to actually go in there and see these children born with all these medical conditions, Tufarelli said. That-s why we decided to put all our efforts into helping this unit.
The chamber hopes to raise at least $15,000 at Culinary Delights, a portion of which will go to the hospital. Those interested in attending can call Tufarelli-s office at (516) 735-9500 ext. 12.
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
