Guide Dog Foundation Named Finalist in 9th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards 

Long Island Imagine Awards Winners to Be Announced LIVE Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Smithtown, NY (February 5, 2021) – The Guide Dog Foundation was named a Finalist in the Innovation category in The 9th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards. The Long Island Imagine Awards was created to offer formal acknowledgement to some of Long Island’s most effective and innovative nonprofit organizations. 

The 9th Annual Long Island Imagine Awards has made the decision to convert the live awards gala to a virtual event that will take place on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 5:00-7:30pm. After the success of the 2020 virtual event due to Covid-19, the volunteer planning committee agreed that rather than continue to postpone, it is best to produce another exciting virtual event and get the prize money in the hands of the winning nonprofits as soon as possible.  The virtual format will feature an hour long “Cocktail Event” where sponsors and attendees can network prior to the start of the program and again for 30 minutes at the conclusion.  Integrating the pre-recorded sponsor and finalist videos with the LIVE announcements of the winners in addition to offering viewers the ability to donate directly to the finalists before, during and after the LIVE event is an exciting and innovative approach. For more information, click here.

Approximately 150 entries were submitted for consideration in 5 categories, including Innovation, Leadership Excellence, Rising Star, Social Impact, and Arts & Culture. This Guide Dog Foundation is one of four finalists in the Innovation category.

"We're honored to be named a finalist in this years Imagine Awards", says Foundation president and CEO, John Miller. "The mission of the Guide Dog Foundation is to improve the quality of life for people who are blind, have low vision, or have special needs. Our partnership with a high profile organization such as the New York Islanders provides invaluable opportunities to share our mission and provide public education and awareness of people with blindness and other disabilities." 

Finalists were chosen by members of the Awards' Distinguished Judging Panel who also selected the Imagine Awards winners from among the Finalists during final judging.  These are kept top secret until the event.

“With over 3,500 nonprofits on Long Island, to be one of the top 20 nonprofits on Long Island is a pretty amazing accomplishment,” said Ken Cerini, Founder of the Long Island Imagine Awards.  “It means that the organization has been identified as a leader on Long Island, exhibiting impactful and innovative operations.  Congratulations to all of the Finalists on their achievement.”
Details about Long Island Imagine Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available here. 

ABOUT GUIDE DOG FOUNDATION
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. (www.GuideDog.org), has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other special needs. The Guide Dog Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization serving clients from across the United States and Canada. The Foundation relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to serve people with disabilities. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but the Guide Dog Foundation provides its services completely free of charge to the individual.  Its sister organization, America’s VetDogs, trains and provides guide, service, and hearing dogs for disabled veterans and first responders. The Guide Dog Foundation was the first assistance dog school in the United States to be accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.

About The Imagine Awards
The Imagine Awards was created in 2012 by Managing Partner, Ken Cerini of Cerini & Associates, LLP.  Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Imagine Awards recognize outstanding performances in the Long Island Community.  To learn more about the Imagine Awards, visit www.imagineawardsli.com.

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