The Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center in Plainview received a $950,000 grant — the largest gift in the organization’s history — on July 31.
Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) secured the grant via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal economic stimulus bill passed in 2021, to support the not-for-profit organization in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. With his grant approved in Nov 2024, ARPA assisted in establishing funding for the financial losses the center sustained during the pandemic.
“The Mid Island Y JCC is an iconic institution, and this is exceedingly special because I have the opportunity to give back in the most meaningful way to the communities I serve and reside in,” Drucker said.
Since 1956, Mid Island Y JCC has provided community programs, classes, and activities for Nassau and Suffolk County residents of all ages. Some of their services include preschool and nursery school, counseling, and afterschool and athletic programs.
The center also provides over $225,000 in scholarships to local families and offers its services to more than 20,000 members and patrons in Plainview, Old Bethpage, Syosset and Woodbury, according to their website.
“You feel such pride in the ways that the JCC, the staff and the volunteers allow us to provide for this community. You also worry about the future,” Mid Island Y JCC Board President Jason Blumkin said. “Thanks to this generous grant from Arnie and all the work he did to get us to this stage, I can worry a little less knowing how far this will go in our community.”
