Nassau Independence Party Honors Not-For-Profits

April 10, 2012 - PRLog -- This past Wednesday night, politicians, CEOs, councilmen, friends and family came together at Oheka Castle in Huntington to honor local not-for-profits with Nassau’s Independence Party’s 2012 Independence Freedom Awards.  

The following organizations were honor: The Gold Coast International Film Festival, which is dedicated to promoting and supporting the arts through education, exhibition, performance and outreach on the North Shore; The Medical Mission International Dialysis Center, which provides short-term medical and surgical care to people in underserved regions of the world; Splashes of Hope,  which consist of volunteer artists that bring murals to many medical facilities to bring a more colorful and comforting environment to them;  Megan’s Law,  a bill that allows states discretion in establishing criteria for disclosure, but compels them to make private and personal information on registered sex offenders available to the public; and North Shore Animal League,  which rescue, rehabilitation and set adoption efforts to save the lives of as many companion animals as possible - one at a time - and promote education to increase shelter adoptions, reduce animal cruelty and advance the highest standards in animal welfare.
The event was attended by an array of politicians and prominent figures in the community, including; County Executive Ed Mangano, New Police Commissioner Thomas Dale, Republican Chairman Joe Mondello, Sheriff Mike Sposata, Congressman Peter King, Senator Carl Marcellino, Former Oyster Bay Supervisor Lew Yevoli, Assemblyman Joe Saladino, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt, and New York State and Suffolk County Chairman of the Independence Party Frank Mackay.

The night began a cocktail hour and dinner at the grand estate. Mackay kicked things off with opening remarks before introducing the main host of the evening, Nassau’s Independence Party’s Executive Director, Rick Bellando.  Bellando introduced and thanked many of the night’s guests before proceeding into discussing the growing political party. Bellando stressed the rapid growth of the Independence Party, and the leverage it can provide when endorsing candidates, something the main two political parties are starting to truly grasp this election season. The Nassau Indy leader said in his speech said that he is sorry that the Democrats are boycotting him because of the Legislature Races in 2011 but felt he will not punish the Nassau Tax Payers for their behavior. Bellando feels if the Democrats have the best Candidate for the Nassau People that he is going to back that Candidate 100%. “My job is to protect the Nassau Taxpayers, not hurt them.” County Executive Ed Mangano was disappointed that the Democrats boycotted the event, since the Nassau Independence Party is a neutral party. Especially with the Nassau Independence Party cross endorsing  Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and Congressman Steve Israel  for Congress on the Democrat Line. This was the second event by Nassau Independence Party that the Democrats boycotted. Bellando then proceeded to hand out the Independence Freedom awards, giving each honoree a few moments to speak on behalf of their organization.

Afterwards, the event was light, full of chatter and networking. The main dining area had more people standing, walking between tables to chat than sitting down. The night was full of various professionals, aside from politicians; groups such as Community Care, Strategic Healthcare Staffing, Arrow Security, the Cotocon Group, and more were there to listen to Bellando speak on behalf of the Independence Party.

For more information or press inquiries on the Nassau Independence Party, please contact Blu Chip Marketing: 631-337-1603.