Two families have taken a significant step in supporting veterans by establishing the first endowment for the Long Island State Veterans Home. The newly created Long Island State Veterans Home Endowed Fund for Excellence aims to provide advanced services to veterans.
Opened in 1991 on the Stony Brook University campus, the Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH) is part of Stony Brook Medicine. It offers short-term rehabilitation, traditional long-term care, Alzheimer’s/dementia care, and end-of-life palliative care for veterans. Executive Director Fred Sganga stated, “At the Long Island State Veterans Home, we handle not just quality of care, but quality of life for our veterans.”
The LaSpina family has been supporting LISVH for a decade. John LaSpina, former chair of the Bowlers to Veterans Link charitable foundation, played a role in introducing virtual-reality headsets at LISVH, making it the first state veterans home in the nation to offer such experiences.
LaSpina's motivation behind helping establish the endowment was to ensure that LISVH continues having necessary resources and services. “We want to brighten veterans’ lives, and we want to inspire others to do the same,” he said.
Navy veteran Steven Allard and his wife Mary Ann had previously established a scholarship for full-time students who are U.S. Armed Services veterans. Impressed by LISVH's services and its connection with Stony Brook Medicine, they decided to contribute further through this endowment. Mary Ann noted her interest as a retired nurse: “As a retired nurse, that was important to me.” Steven added their aspiration: “Our view is that paying back the brave men and women who gave part of their lives to uphold what America is supposed to be about is something that should be natural.”