Christmas Decorating Contest Hosted By New Beginnings Unfolds Thursday

RIVERHEAD, NY — A festive holiday lights competition will be held Thursday night to bring joy to those faced with traumatic brain injury, as well as physical or cognitive disabilities.

According to Allyson Scerri, the founder of New Beginnings, an outpatient facility in Medford and the Brendan House, a residential facility in Riverhead for those learning to live with TBI, the organization is comprised of five houses for the disabled.

"We are having a Christmas decorating competition for each house, complete with judges," she said.

The event takes place Thursday, beginning at 5 p.m. The judging will begin in Riverhead at the Brendan House, located at 4079 Sound Avenue, and from there, head to Wading River and the other houses, she said.

The winner of the house contest will receive a visit from Chef Aki Goldberg from Aki's Kitchen, who will prepare a gourmet meal.

Scerri is a familiar face on the local Long Island canvas, an indomitable force for good.

New Beginnings Community Center is a state-of-the-art outpatient facility designed to provide rehabilitation, management and recovery for community members with traumatic brain injury, physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities or dementia.

From the darkest of tragedies, hope was born: Allyson Scerri, who, in a heartbreaking twist of fate, lost both her parents to traumatic brain injuries at different times, has devoted her life to helping others navigate that new and unfamiliar terrain.

In 2024, Scerri, who lives in East Quogue, announced that she would be breathing new life into her mission, opening two new centers in Wading River at Little Flower, which had recently closed its adult residential programs on Long Island.

iIn total, Scerri said she would be transforming space in three buildings at the Little Flower campus: The first, Amber Haven, located at 2463 North Wading River Road, would soon be "the second Brendan House," Scerri said — a residential home where disabled individuals can find hope.

The second building is called the New Beginnings Alfred Francis residence — an in-patient facility where rehabilitation, physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy will be offered, she said.

The third building is focused on palliative care.

All three businesses are being run by New Beginnings; the second two buildings are on Little Flower's property but a quarter mile apart, Scerri said.

The grand opening for Amber Haven took place on December 15, 2024: The date has deep meaning for Scerri. December 15 marks the anniversary of her mother's passing; she died of a traumatic brain injury after a car accident, she said.

"My mom was my best friend," she said. "We were inseparable."

Her mother, Scerri said, helped her through a long road with infertility, "every step of the way."

And then came the darkest of days.

"On December 15, we were supposed to see Santa at an event. I was five months' pregnant. I had to go home, because I was so nauseous," she said. "My parents were in a horrific car accident, and my mom died of a traumatic brain injury. She was only 49 years old."

The loss echoed.

"Life was never the same for my family," Scerri said in 2024. "I always honor my father because it’s easier. My mom's death is such a deep wound. Her name was Linda, and this week alone I was working with five families with a Linda. My niece Linda’s birthday is this weekend and, she, too, died at a young age."

Rocked by loss, it was inconceivable that Scerri could lose her father, too, to a TBI.

On February 7, 2007, Scerri’s father, Al Barone, was involved in a "horrifying" motorcycle accident in Florida which left him with a traumatic brain injury, she said. Seeing her father, a man of great strength and independence, inadequately cared for was an unacceptable frustration for Scerri, she said.

She relocated her father to New York to oversee his care and find the best TBI solutions for him, she said.

Scerri believed there needed to be a place where others who were struggling to find advanced TBI rehabilitation, management and recovery could get the care and support they deserved. That vision ultimately became the New Beginnings Community Center.

"This journey has been the biggest blessing in my life. I made a promise to my dad that his injury was not just for any reason — but that the two of us would change many lives by helping families with the tragedy of injury," she said.

Of her mother, Scerri said, "I miss her beyond words."

She added: "I have spent my life helping others in tragedy in honor of both my parents."