2021 Masquerade GALA: 25 years brightening the world with ART!
Dave Gussaroff Honored by Splashes of Hope
It was a night to remember and a night for remembering. It was a night to celebrate being together again and to celebrate all that was accomplished while they were apart. And it was a night to honor our special friend and supporter, Dave Gussaroff.
Splashes of Hope recently held our 25th anniversary fundraiser gala at Coindre Hall. The evening’s honoree, Dave Gussaroff, is a longtime resident of Lloyd Harbor and dedicated supporter of our nonprofit organization which creates artwork to transform medical and social service centers into welcoming, positive environments for patients and staff, personalize living spaces for homebound children with medical challenges, and brighten neighborhoods and communities.
Thanks to his over 30 years of volunteering at Make-A-Wish Suffolk County, Dave has been able to make many connections between wish children and the artists at Splashes of Hope. He has sponsored personalized murals for these children, portraying the wishes they received, wishes dreamed of, yet to happen, or their favorite things. Some of these children--the “Splash Stars”— were featured in a moving video shown at the Gala, in which they expressed their appreciation for their murals and sung “Imagine”, Dave’s favorite song. In addition, Dave was surprised by congratulatory videos by some of his favorite NY Yankees—Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera!
In addition to rejoicing in 25 incredible years of community service, we look forward to many more years of making the world a more colorful, beautiful place. With the assistance of loyal volunteers and donors, this will happen. As Dave Gussaroff always says, “if it’s in your heart, do it”!
A heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU to all who gave your time, talent and treasures to the Splashes of Hope mission throughout the years. Whether you helped plant seeds of the organzation during our early days, painted with us, sponsored a project, volunteered, or just gave us encouragement on our journey to brighten the world , your contribution has helped us reach this milestone of 25 years ! Photography by Albert Gersh and John Mazza Music by The Demolition Brass Band Centerpieces by Bayport Flowerhouse