V.S. resident celebrates 25 years of helping others

The Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City will be transformed into a winter wonderland from Nov. 28 to 30 as part of the Festival of Trees, thanks in large part to a Valley Stream resident.

“Its probably my favorite time of the year,” said Karen Kiefel, a Valley Stream resident who has helmed the festival, which benefits the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County, since its inception. “When you see the children’s faces when we present our donations, when you see their eyes light up, they’re so thankful and it really is just such a great feeling.

Kiefel first became involved with the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Nassau County over 30 years ago, soon after she first moved to Valley Stream.

“I was a new mom in the area, and I was a stay-at-home mom, so I was always looking for ways to make new friends in the neighborhood,” Kiefel said. “A neighbor who I had grown close to invited me to a meeting of UPC, and I decided to go with her. While we were there, we were invited to a fundraising dinner the next week. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it was for a good cause, so we decided to go and see what it was all about.”

What she saw at the dinner, Kiefel said, changed her life forever.

“We had driven in and spent most of the ride talking about what was going on in our lives and doing a bit of complaining,” she explained, “but when we walked in and we saw the children there and saw how sweet they were and what they were struggling with, I don’t think either of us complained about our families for quite some time. From that moment on, I wanted to be committed to helping children affected with this terrible disease and try to ease their suffering even just a little bit.”

Anne Schimenti, who has volunteered with UPC and the festival for over two decades, said Kiefel deserves to be proud of what she has done for children and families struggling with cerebral palsy in Nassau County.