Friday, March 28, 2025
The Kiwanis Club of Long Beach is set to host its third annual Women’s History Month Brunch Fundraiser on Sunday, celebrating outstanding women in the community and raising funds to support local children in need.
“There are so many dynamic women in our community that either are involved in various arts or are very philanthropic or just give back to the community,” Kiwanis President Marianne Raisig said. “We want to honor those people, because they are the thread that runs through this community that always step up when there’s a need.”
The brunch will be held at Minnesota’s Bar & Grill, at 959 W. Beech St. Tickets are $65, and attendees are asked to bring new art supplies to give to students in need. As of press time, more than 100 tickets had been sold.
This year’s honorees are Liz Nachman, Teresa McCarthy and Amy Schwartz Bernabeo.
Schwartz Bernabeo has spent years supporting local causes and people in need. A dedicated businesswoman in the fashion industry, she founded Amyzing Pieces, LLC, for which she creates jewelry and clothing. She is known for stepping up in times of crisis, offering help to community members and organizations. Recognized previously as Long Beach’s Woman of the Year, she continues to embody the spirit of generosity and service.
McCarthy is a community leader whose work has ranged widely. As the director of community outreach at Maple Family Centers, she organizes fundraising events, and as a children’s librarian at the Island Park Public Library, she encourages a love of learning. McCarthy has also dedicated over a decade to Girl Scouts, mentoring young girls in leadership and service.
Nachman is a driving force behind local philanthropy and business initiatives. She founded Rebuild the Beach after Hurricane Sandy, raising funds for Long Beach schools and the community. As a co-owner of Brandable Marketing, she supports local businesses with promotional products while also leading charitable efforts through Kiwanis, Beach Giving and the Long Beach Farmers’ Market.
The money raised at the brunch will help send local children in need to summer camp. The club supports local camps at the Long Beach Recreation Center and the Martin Luther King Center as well as Camp Kiwanis in the Adirondacks.
Founded in 1957, the city Kiwanis Club has served the community ever since, focusing on assisting children. Through partnerships with local schools and social workers, the club has provided everything from school supplies and winter coats to resources for displaced families in need of necessities. It also organizes initiatives like food drives, holiday support programs and even a bike safety rodeo, in collaboration with the Long Beach Police Department.
“We just notice a need and we try to fulfill those needs, trying to make a child’s life just a little better,” Raisig said. “We don’t look at it as a handout, we look at it as a hand up. Sometimes just a small intervention in a child’s life could make a dramatic difference for the rest of their life, like somebody cares, and that’s what we’re about.”
The club also works with the Kiwanis Pediatric Trauma Centers at Stony Brook University Hospital and Cohen Children’s Hospital, and takes participate in programs such as cooking meals for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House New York Metro, an organization that provides a “home away from home” to families who have a sick child in a nearby hospital.
Each fall, Kiwanis hosts another key fundraiser; Playing in the Pubs, in which local bands donate their time for a day of live music. Proceeds from the event help fund music lessons for children from low-income families who qualify for New York State School Music Association competitions but can’t afford private lessons.
To purchase tickets for the brunch and learn more about the organization, visit kiwanisclublb.org.
