FACEBOOK COMMUNITY RESPONDS ENTHUSIASTICALLY TO GLEN HEAD RESIDENT'S FRIENDLY CHALLENGE TO RAISE FUNDS FOR NICHOLAS PEDONE FOUNDATION
December 15, 2013 -- This past Monday, Annie Artale-Napoli of Glen Head issued a friendly challenge to the more than 1300 people on the Glen Head-Glenwood-Sea Cliff-Brookville-Roslyn Harbor-Greenvale Facebook Group. "It seems like people have a lot of time to post on never-ending threads," she posted. "With that said, for everyone who comments on this thread, I will personally donate $1.00 on every comment up to $250.00 to the Nicholas Pedone Foundation . . . . Anyone care to match me???" Within a few minutes, Ms. Napoli's pledge was matched and very quickly the comments piled up as community members offered words of support and made their own pledges.
The Nicholas Pedone Foundation ~ Fight Hard Smile Big is being started by the Pedone family in memory their son, who lost his life at age seven to childhood cancer earlier this year. "One thing Nicholas was known for was his magical smile, a smile that was always visible even through his toughest days," Josephine Pedone, Nicholas' mother said. "Today, we want his legacy to live on. We want to inspire and motivate children and families, as we did with our Sweet Nicholas, that no matter what, to always Fight Hard Smile Big! There will be more details on the formation of the foundation in the New Year! We cant wait to share “smiles”…because smiling is contagious!" Ms. Napoli explained what motivated her decision to post the message. "People were commenting on threads that would go on and on," she said. "I thought that there must be some way to make this into something positive." "I was going to make the contribution whether I got the comments or not . . . But others didn't wait either - many people matched the $250 right away." "My husband Michael has been in remission from cancer for 3 1/2 years and every year we try to find a way to give back," Ms. Napoli explained. "I hope this can help make this holiday season a little better for the Pedone family knowing how much we 'the community' care." The Community Facebook Page members have been supporting Ms. Napoli's efforts in many ways - from words of encouragement, to pledges, to "bumping" the post to the top of the community page several times throughout the day, to reposting the original post on their own Facebook Walls, to mailing and dropping off checks at Annie's house. "I so love checking my mailbox..... Another Elf has dropped off a check..... Yay!!!!!!" Ms. Napoli commented in a recent post. "It's truly amazing," she continued, "what a wonderful bunch of people are on this community page!!!! I never thought it would turn into this." Contributions, she said, have ranged from $5 to matching her own of $250, and some have even pledged more. "Any amount is welcomed," she explained, "and I am hoping to present the Foundation with a check of the contributions that are collected up until 12/23." And after that, contributions are of course still welcome. Ms. Pedone expressed gratitude for Ms. Napoli's efforts and the support of the Community. "I am humbled by the continued support of this wonderful community we live in," she said. "This amazing group of people have helped and contributed in making a difference in our lives in more ways than they will ever know and we are forever grateful. "What started as a simple “catchy” Facebook Thread on the Community Facebook page, my friend, Annie Napoli, started up an unexpected fundraiser on Facebook that has gone viral within the community! The outpouring of responses and donations being made are just incredible! These funds will be a huge contribution to our overall start-up process! We are very excited. Annie has proven how a small gesture goes a long way. Her compassion, drive and actions to make a difference have come full circle. The best gift to give others is to give yourself. The best gift to give yourself, is to give to others." To learn about Nicholas Pedone, please go to: www.nicholaspedone.com www.facebook.com/sweetnicholasbattlesneuroblastoma If you would like to contribute, Annie Artale-Napoli can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or through a private message on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/anne.napoli?fref=ts. BACK TO HOME PAGE |