After her grandson Gabriel died of an overdose in 2010, Grandmother Paulette Phillippe remembers how her family had the additional struggle to pay for funeral expenses. That’s why in 2020, to mark Gabriel’s 10th anniversary in heaven, she formed Gabriel’s Giving Tree (GGT) to help families in need on Long Island pay for funeral and burial services after a loved one dies from an opioid poisoning or substance use disorder. In 2021, GGT joined forces with the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), together they have raised more than $100,000, assisting nearly 35 families to provide their loved ones one final gift. The grants provided by GGT only cover a portion of the expenses. Fortunately, several Long Island funeral homes, including Fives Funeral Homes in Smithtown and Patchogue work with the organization to help families struggling to pay for funeral costs stay within a budget.
On October 27, GGT and LICADD will be hosting its annual fundraiser, “The Peter Sweisgood and Gabriel’s Giving Tree Healing and Recovery Breakfast” in memory of former LICADD Executive Director, Peter Sweisgood. The breakfast will honor Larry and Eileen Lamendola, as “Fisher of Families” for their contributions working as advocates on the fentanyl crisis. The Lamendolas are active in the Wantagh Lions Club and the Levittown Community Action Coalition. The Lamendolas lost their daughter Lisa to a fentanyl poisoning in 2016. The breakfast will also honor John Flanagan as “Fisher of Men”. Flanagan is a former New York State senator and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Northwell Health.
The Breakfast will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Heritage Club at Bethpage. For tickets and information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Nadege Jeanty at LICADD at 516-747-2606 or visit: https://licadd.org
In addition to assisting with funeral costs, Gabriel’s Giving Tree has created a Tree Memorial and Serenity Garden at the Suffolk County Environmental Center at the Scully Estate, located at 550 South Bay Avenue in Islip. Called “Gabriel's Giving Tree Memorial & Recovery Park,” the serene space gives visitors the opportunity to heal and reflect. Together with LICADD they connect families to grief and loss services.
The garden is also the home of a Wind Phone, an old rotary phone standing under the shade of a tree, is a comfort tool that enables those grieving to “talk” to their loved one. There are over 160 wind phones worldwide, modeled on Japan's first wind phone in 2011.
For more information on a scholarship after losing a loved one: gabriel.givingtree@gmail.com . All donations to LICADD, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, are tax deductible as allowable by law. Donations may be directed to the Gabriel’s Giving Tree Program in support of scholarships for funeral services.