The Dakota Design Center showroom is home to the design group, PS Micaza Interiors, Inc., led by veteran designer Patricia Salcedo. It has also been home to a number of fundraisers since it opened more than two years ago.
On Thursday, Oct. 2,, from 6:30-10 p.m., The Dakota Design Center, 1t 1565 Merrick Road, will doors once again for a worthy cause. It will hold a special Ladies Night to promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The cause hit home last winter when one of PS Micaza Interiors' own was diagnosed with breast cancer. The team rallied and created their own meals-on-wheels program, tapping suppliers, clients and business associates to deliver food daily to their co-worker and friend for one and a half months.
Design consultant Randi Satnick said, "Oddly enough, throughout my ordeal, I felt incredibly lucky. I was surrounded by an abundance of information, resources and an outpouring of support."
Senior designer Nicole Fella suggested that the group's next event highlight Breast Cancer Awareness Month and started the meals-on-wheels program. "We have close dealings with so many women," said Salcedo. "Our aim is to transform people's living space into their dream, and we enter their homes and lives to do it. It is remarkable how many women came forward once they learned about Randi to share their own stories. We realized there is a need out there for information, sharing and support."
The team discovered the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program, a charity that helps women from all walks of life with prevention, testing and wellness, as well as offers support programs. Along with representatives from the Adelphi program, two genetic counselors (one from Winthrop Hospital and the other from Myriad Laboratories) will be on hand to talk about BRACCA testing. "Our showroom is overflowing with great raffle prizes to benefit the Adelphi program," designer Jennifer Lloyd said. "Not only will there be a lot of information, but the Ladies Night is going to be fun too!"
Heavenly Chef Mark Chabus will showcase his talents for the cause, as well as entertainer Carl Alfino. A variety of vendors, some breast cancer survivors themselves, will be on hand to appeal to the early holiday shopper.
Satnick said one in eight Long Island women are affected by breast cancer. "That is both a conservative and astonishing number," she said. "I was propelled through recovery, the maze of information, decisions and emotions with the support of my family, friends and co-workers. Patty, her husband Danny Ho, Nicole and Jen were at the forefront," she added. "This is a sisterhood no one wants to belong to, but because of the magnitude of the disease, all of us are members."
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