On July 16th, the inaugural meeting date for 100 Women Who Care about Long Island, they had 26 women who had made the pledge to join the group in support of their local Nassau and Suffolk County charities. By the end of the evening, they were up to 38 members! The members of 100 Women Who Care about Long Island named the recipient of the group's first donation, the Theresa Academy of Performing Arts (TAPA)! Their member's donation checks will be more then $3,800. This amount will increase as members that have joined after the meeting want to participate in this first donation and are mailing their $100 checks made out to TAPA. The donation presentation date will be announced shortly. Located in Lido Beach, the Theresa Academy believes that every child has strengths that can be used as a springboard to learn new skills which can enhance each child's personal sense of accomplishment. At TAPA, the teachers use a wide variety of teaching methods to accommodate all styles of learning. The primary goal of their classes is for children with special needs to experience the joy of dance, drama, art, and music. These children benefit in many ways when they participate, including improvement in coordination, overall fitness, focus, listening, balance, self-esteem, self-expression, rhythm, and musicality. The Theresa Academy will be using the donation to enhance their Saturday Respite Program, the only arts-based Saturday Respite Program in Nassau County specifically created for children with special needs. Congratulations to The Theresa Academy for being voted the recipient of our initial donation, and many thanks to charter member Annamarie Bondi-Stoddard whose enthusiasm for the work done by this charity touched all of the members of 100 Women Who Care about Long Island! 100 Women Who Care about Long Island is a new philanthropic group formed for local women who are interested in supporting our communities by contributing to L.I. charities together as a group to increase the donation impact. 100 Women Who Care about Long Island's next meeting is Tuesday October 8th from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Jewel Restaurant in Melville (on Rte. 110 at the LIE). After the meeting they invite you to join them for some socializing and networking. There will be complimentary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar available.