LIREG donates $30,000 to Angela's House

The Long Island Real Estate Group has contributed $30,000 to the Association for Technology Dependent Children/Angela's House, which is using the money to build a new group home for medically frail children. "Angela's House provides important services that are in short supply on Long Island and we are happy to support them in their mission and future goals," said Richard Cohn, LIREG president. Angela's House, which operates group homes for medically frail children with severe disabilities, is using the LIREG donation to fund initial construction of a group home in Stony Brook, its third facility. The charity currently has facilities in East Moriches and Smithtown. The homes, which offer 24-hour nursing support, provide care to some ventilator-dependent children. "We were thrilled to get this generous donation which has allowed us to do excavating and demolishing work on the land," said Robert Policastro, executive director of Angela's House, which is headquartered in Smithtown. "We are very grateful that the LIREG was able to help us through the first hurdle." Policastro said he was impressed by the compassion and drive of LIREG's members to help Long Island charitable organizations, such as his. "They understand and embrace that nonprofit groups on Long Island need community support to fulfill their important missions," he said. The Association for Technology Dependent Children (ATDC) was created to provide families and professionals with an agency to call to help medically frail children. It assists in the coordination of the complex array of services needed to support families so that they may care for their medically frail children at home. Angela's House offers a home away from home option for medically frail children to live in when they cannot live at home. The funds donated to Angela's House were raised through LIREG's Casino Night, held last June at the Meadowbrook Pointe Clubhouse. LIREG, formed in 2004 to encourage networking among Long Island real estate developers, owners and allied trades and to raise funds for charitable real estate-related projects on Long Island, now has 175 members. Besides Angela's House, LIREG has contributed more than $100,000 to such charities as Haven House/Bridges Inc., Sunrise Day Camp, Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, Hospice Care Network and Habitat for Humanity.