LI Non-Profit Founder To Be Honored With Community Leadership Award

ISLIP, NY — A Long Island community member dedicated to supporting families who have lost loved ones to substance abuse disorder will be honored by the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday, July 15, at 11 a.m., Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr., will present the Community Leadership Award to Paulette Phillippe, founder of Gabriel’s Giving Tree, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds for families who lost loved ones to substance use disorder to help with burial fees and other needs.

Phillippe founded GGT to honor Gabriel, her 15-year-old grandson who died from an overdose in 2010.

The award ceremony will take place at GGT's Memorial and Serenity Garden at Suffolk County Environmental Center in Islip. In a statement, the SCSO said the garden serves as a "powerful symbol of healing, remembrance and hope for those impacted by substance use disorder."

The Serenity Garden is also home to a "wind phone" installed by GGT, which offers people a way to connect with loved ones they've lost.

Other supporters who helped "bring the garden to life" will attend, including Carole Trottere of the Purple Rock Project, Lori Carbonaro, and Claudia Friszell, along with representatives from Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, under which Gabriel’s Giving Tree operates.

According to SCSO, Toulon’s Community Leadership Award is given each month to Suffolk residents who go above and beyond to uplift others and build stronger, more compassionate communities.

The Suffolk County Environmental Center is located at 550 South Bay Ave. in Islip.