The Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation recently granted $25,000 to the Tribute and Honor Foundation Inc., a Long Island-based non-profit veteran support organization, to aid in their efforts within the veteran community.
The Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation’s contribution will advance the Tribute and Honor Foundation’s mission to honor and support veterans and their families across Long Island. Furthermore, the donation will play an important role in helping assure the longevity of the Tribute and Honor Foundation’s recently instituted Ben Farnan Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship, named for Korean War veteran and Tribute and Honor Foundation’s 2022 Legacy Award recipient Ben Farnan, is dedicated to graduating seniors from Glen Cove, Locust Valley, and North Shore High Schools who are entering the military or a military academy upon graduating.
The Tribute and Honor Foundation will be working closely with the schools in identifying exceptional young people from each school to receive the annual scholarship.
Peter Dejana, a successful Port Washington entrepreneur, and his wife, Jeri, established their family foundation in 2011 to benefit nonprofits on Long Island.
Their recent gift to the Tribute and Honor Foundation demonstrates the Dejanas’ continued commitment to supporting veterans and their families. “The board and I are profoundly grateful to Peter and Jeri Dejana, and the entire Dejana Foundation, for their extraordinary generosity,” said Gaitley Stevenson-Mathew, President of the Tribute and Honor Foundation.
The Tribute and Honor Foundation began in December of 2021 when Glen Cove resident, Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews, met with Jeanine DiMenna, owner of Glen Cove’s The View Grill. Stevenson-Mathews had an idea for a fundraising event and awards ceremony to benefit VFW Post 347 following a devastating fire that occurred at the post earlier in the year.
With DiMenna’s help, Stevenson-Mathews formed a committee, scheduled a meeting with the leadership of VFW Post 347, secured liaison members to provide input to the committee, and hosted their first Annual Awards Ceremony and Fundraising event.
Within months following the first Awards Ceremony, plans were underway for a 2nd annual celebration, additional members were brought on board, and the organization was officially incorporated.
To date, the Tribute and Honor Foundation has raised close to $50,000 for VFW Post 347, supports programs such as the Glen Cove Library’s VetNow Program, and has honored over twenty local heroes both locally and from across Long Island.
In recognition of the recent gift, the Tribute and Honor Foundation is naming the Peter and Jeri Dejana Foundation as Event Sponsor for the organization’s upcoming Gala and Awards Ceremony to be held on February 3rd at 6 pm at the Crescent Beach Club.
The Tribute and Honor Foundation hopes to raise $100,000 through this year’s gala, better enabling the organization to serve Long Island Veterans. A portion of the proceeds will also support the Ben Farnan Scholarship fund.
For more information on the Tribute and Honor Foundation, including ticket and sponsorship opportunities for the foundation’s upcoming Gala and Awards Ceremony, please visit www.phoenixrisingawards.com.
