Two families have answered the call to help our country’s veterans by establishing the Long Island State Veterans Home’s first endowment. The Long Island State Veterans Home Endowed Fund for Excellence will allow the Veterans Home the flexibility to provide state-of-the-art services to our deserving veterans.
The Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH) opened its doors in 1991 on the campus of Stony Brook University. It is part of Stony Brook Medicine and provides short-term rehabilitation, traditional long-term care, Alzheimer’s/dementia care and end-of-life palliative care for veterans. “At the Long Island State Veterans Home, we handle not just quality of care, but quality of life for our veterans,” explained Executive Director Fred Sganga. “Our philosophy for our residents and ADHC registrants is that we want to exceed their expectations.”
The LaSpina family has been giving to the LISVH for the past 10 years. John LaSpina is the former chair of the Bowlers to Veterans Link charitable foundation. Through that organization, LaSpina helped to bring virtual-reality headsets to the LISVH — making it the first state veterans home in the country to offer virtual reality experiences to its residents.
LaSpina was motivated to help establish the endowment to ensure that the LISVH continues to have the resources and services it needs for years to come. “We want to brighten veterans’ lives, and we want to inspire others to do the same,” said LaSpina. “We hope that the Long Island State Veterans Home continues to be cutting edge in terms of technology and resources that enhance the care for our veterans.”
Navy veteran and alumnus Steven Allard ’77 and his wife Mary Ann established a scholarship in 2015 to benefit full-time students who are veterans of the United States Armed Services.
When the Allards learned more about the LISVH, they were impressed not only with the services it provides but also with its association with Stony Brook Medicine. “As a retired nurse, that was important to me,” said Mary Ann. The couple hopes that the endowment will help the LISVH to expand its services, as well as keep thinking about what’s next for the future of the home and the veterans. “We also hope that the Long Island State Veterans Home becomes a model for other places,” said Steven. “Our view is that paying back the brave men and women who gave part of their lives to uphold what America is supposed to be about is something that should be natural.”
Read the full story at SB Matters.
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