On October 17th Bethany House held its 17th annual fashion show and awards dinner at Rockville Links Club in Rockville Centre, NY. The event raised over $12,000 for the organization, celebrating its residents and awarding community members who dedicate their time and effort to serving its mission. More than 200 local residents were in attendance.
Oceanside resident and psychic medium Shira Benedetto was among the evening’s award recipients. About four years ago, Benedetto started hosting the Psychic Experience Fundraiser to benefit Bethany House, a 40-year-old organization that provides shelter and other residential options to women and children struggling with homelessness in Nassau County. The annual psychic reading event has raised about $25,500 for Bethany House since its inception.
Benedetto, a mother, empath, and accomplished spiritual healer received the honor of Outstanding Woman of Compassion and a proclamation from State Sen. Todd Kaminsky.
“The event was so fantastic and lively,” Benedetto said. “I was honored to be there and so surprised and humbled by the award.”
Other honorees included members of South Side High School of Rockville Centre’s club Bethany Buddies, which assists families at the shelter on a weekly basis, and former Bethany House resident Nicole Grant, who owns a business as a process server for the courts’ system, where she makes efforts to work with Bethany House women.
According to Sister Aimee Koonmen, the founder and executive director of the Bethany House, the fashion show was all about celebrating the “grace and boundless potential” of the young women that it serves.
