The Suffolk County Environmental Center at the Scully Estate, 550 South Bay Avenue in Islip will be transformed into an Earth Day fair on Sunday, April 27, as the non-profit Gabriel’s Giving Tree (GGT) and Long Island Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence (LICADD) host a free family fun day at the garden.
The fair runs from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will include dozens of vendors; a live animal show by Ranger Eric Powers; live music by Victoria Said; a scavenger hunt for the little ones; make your own bouquet (small fee); food; social media photo ops; nature walks; Narcan Training by the Suffolk County Police Department; The Purple Rock Project; and experts and resources on addiction, recovery, healing and grief.
GGT is a non-profit that assists families with funeral expenses following the death of a loved one by substance use. Paulette Phillippe is founder of Gabriel’s Giving Tree, named in honor of her grandson Gabriel, who died of fentanyl poisoning in 2014 when he was just 15 years old. GGT is under the LICADD umbrella.
Clean-up of the Tree Memorial and Serenity Garden section of the estate will begin at 10 a.m. Volunteers are welcomed and gardening tools will be supplied.
The garden is also home to a Wind Phone, an old rotary phone, which is not “connected” to anything, but is used as a comforting tool for those grieving the loss of a loved one. . There are over 160 wind phones worldwide, modeled on Japan's first wind phone in 2011.
For more information: 631-786-0368, gabriel.givingtree@gmail.com.