$450K Raised By Farmingdale's Adventureland's Helping Hands Foundation At VIP Night

FARMINGDALE, NY — Adventureland's Helping Hands Foundation raised more than $45oK to support its ongoing programs during its annual VIP Night held earlier in September, according to a news release.

The event raises funds to support the foundation and its many community-based charitable activities while providing families with unlimited rides, unlimited food, unlimited fun and unlimited entertainment. The Helping Hands Foundation was established in 2013 by the Farmingdale amusement park.

"We believe it is important to give back to the community in many ways through Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation," said Steve Gentile, president of Adventureland, in a news release. "Since we began the organization 11 years ago, we have provided over $1 million in charitable donations and scholarships, and this year’s VIP Night was our most successful event to date, made possible by the generosity of our Long Island neighbors."

Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation’s VIP Night included the presentation of a $50K donation to Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (NSSA) and the presentation of 13 - $5,000 scholarships to high school seniors, including Adventureland team members.

Throughout the year, Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation makes donations to Island Harvest, Town of Babylon Food Pantry, the Town of Babylon’s Christmas Angels Program, the Town of Oyster Bay’s Toys for Tots Drive and conducts a Clear the List school supply program supporting Long Island Teachers.

This year’s recipients of Vivian and Tony Gentile Scholarships, for students attending college on Long Island, were:

• Isabella Neri (St. John’s University)
• Kerri Fliller (Hofstra University)
• Mikayla Blanc (Adelphi University)
• Brendan Dunne (St. John’s)
• Anthony Gomez (Farmingdale State College)

Recipients of Adventureland Team Member Scholarships, for students attending college within New York state, were:

• Sally Rosenthal (University of Buffalo School of Law)
• Maggie Greene (University at Albany)
• Tamzidul Haque (Farmingdale State College)
• Hailey Busch (SUNY Cortland)
• Ella Bloom (Farmingdale State College)

Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation also teams up on scholarships with:

• Sachem Dental Group (2024 Recipient: Christian Paredes, Stony Brook University)
  • Made possible through Sachem Dental Group’s $50K endowment to Adventureland’s Helping Hands Foundation, awarded in 2017.
• Island Harvest (2024 Recipient: Heemali Patel, New York Institute of Technology)
• Breakthrough T1D (2024 Recipient: Vito Barretta, St. John’s)