Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation held their 2017 annual gala in celebration of the Institute’s 110 year anniversary.
The gala fundraiser commemorated Parker’s pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to superior patient care in a warm and supportive environment, which has been their mantra since its 1907 founding. Victoria Schneps, publisher of Schneps Communications, was the honoree at Parker’s gala on October 26th at the Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Corona. A recap of Parker’s 110 year history follows.
The Institute was established by a group of benefactors in 1907 as a shelter for homeless adults. From a single room in an East Harlem house, the group incorporated as Harlem House of the Daughters of Israel in 1914, moved to a three-story brownstone at 32 East 119th Street and then, in 1925, to an eight-story building at 1260 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. These enlarged facilities enabled the organization to care for increasing numbers of immigrants and other New Yorkers in need of assistance.
By 1943, it cared for older residents and changed its name to the Home and Hospital of the Daughters of Israel, supported by private contributions. As medical needs increased, the new institution that would become “an inspiration to continued life” was planned to serve patients’ needs and also function as a teaching and research center.
An eight story facility located near the Queens/Nassau border opened as the Jewish Institute for Geriatric Care in 1972, and renamed Parker Jewish Geriatric Institute in recognition of the Parker family’s major contributions. In 1997 the current name was adopted.
Today, Parker is the region’s leading provider of short term rehabilitation and long term care. At the forefront of innovation in patient-centered health care and new technology, the Institute is a leader in teaching and geriatric research.
Parker features round-the-clock clinical teams, and is nationally renowned as a skilled nursing facility, as well as a provider of community-based health care, encompassing Social Adult Day Care, Home Health Care and a Hospice Program.
Michael N. Rosenblut, Parker’s President and CEO, honored Schneps for her lifetime of community service and philanthropy. “We were privileged to honor Victoria Schneps for her many philanthropic accomplishments, civic-mindedness and charitable endeavors,” Rosenblut said. “In 1971, ‘Vicki’ founded Life’s WORC, a not-for-profit which helps over 1,500 developmentally disabled and autistic folks in 40 group homes and 20 day programs, plus the Family Center for Autism. Vicki’s on the board of Queens Museum of Art, Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning and Flushing Bank,” he added. Victoria Schneps is the head of Schneps Communications, a group of community newspapers, websites, social media and gala events in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island.
Numerous supporters and business leaders from around the region shared a memorable evening with friends, full of camaraderie and the one and only irrepressible Vicki!
The gala included dinner and a performance of various popular Broadway musical numbers. The support provided by Parker’s many guests ensures that their patients and residents will continue receiving superior care for decades to come.
