CMM Cares: A New Mission

CMM Cares Inc. started as a nonprofit organization with a mission to support veterans, children, and the arts on Long Island through fundraising, increasing awareness, and volunteering. Over the past few years, we have worked with various organizations to help them sustain their missions by joining the business community together for a cause. Read on for a recap of our history and what we have in store now.

Children

  • Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) – CMM Cares essentially started with support for CAPS, a child advocacy organization whose mission CMM’s Joe Campolo helped shape. Joe’s groundbreaking work helped create and fund SurfSafe, a program to keep children safe online that has been subsequently used by parent groups, nonprofits, and even cited by Congress and federal courts as legal support. CMM Cares continues to provide financial support for CAPS annually and CAPS recognized CMM Cares with a Corporate Citizenship Award in 2017.
  • Our Military Kids – CMM Cares has provided financial assistance and helped spread the word about this Virginia-based nonprofit that empowers children of deployed National Guard and Reserve service members, as well as children of wounded veterans from all service branches, with grants for sports, art, and other activities. These activities help military children cope with stress and build self-confidence.
  • Family Service League – A social service agency helping individuals, children, and families to mobilize their strengths and improve the quality of their lives at home, in the workplace, and in the community, FSL plays a critical role on Long Island. CMM Cares dedicated its 2019 volunteer events and fundraisers to FSL, hosting a first-of-its-kind Wine & Dine event with cuisines and wines from around the world, organizing a bowling competition where the business community engaged in some friendly competition, organizing toy and book drives, and volunteering at an FSL preschool in Bay Shore, where our team read stories and did crafts with the students. CMM Cares was honored to receive the Corporate Leadership Award from FSL in 2019 in recognition of our support.
  • Rollstone Foundation – CMM Cares is a longtime supporter of the Rollstone Foundation, which is dedicated to aiding in the adoption of special needs children worldwide. The organization helps to “roll the stone away” for children who need homes by helping fund the adoption process.

Veterans

  • America’s VetDogs – In 2018 we began supporting America’s VetDogs, whose mission to restore independence and dignity to veterans touched us deeply. We collected treats, toys, towels, cleaning supplies, and more to support these incredible service dogs and the brave individuals whose lives they change, and have consistently provided financial and volunteer support. In December 2018, following the passing of President George H.W. Bush, Joe Campolo was on hand at a press conference covered by the international media to welcome Sully, the former President’s beloved service dog, home to Long Island. These efforts led to critical publicity and support for America’s VetDogs (which trained Sully) and its sister organization, the Guide Dog Foundation.
  • Being Vocal for Veterans – Supporting veterans requires advocacy in addition to dollars. Complementing our focus on veterans, CMM’s Joe Campolo, a Marine Corps veteran, delivered the keynote address at the Stony Brook University 2018 Veterans Day ceremony, where he spoke of the business community’s obligation to support veterans by hiring, training, and providing opportunities for them to successfully rejoin civilian life. He blogs regularly about veterans’ issues and how the business community can support these heroes.
  • United Veterans Beacon House – In 2018, CMM Cares volunteered with United Veterans Beacon House, which provides temporary and permanent residences for military veterans and their families. Our volunteers, along with the exceptional team at Gary B Home Improvements, cleaned, painted, and spruced up two homes on the South Shore and provided brand new outdoor patio sets for the residents to enjoy. 
  • Valentines for Veterans – CMM Cares mobilized to unleash the team’s creativity while providing some much-needed cheer for residents at the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook. We delivered baskets of colorful Valentines with messages of appreciation and support to brighten their Valentine’s Day.

The Arts

  • Staller Center for the Arts – Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, and eventually CMM Cares, are longtime supporters of the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, serving as annual corporate sponsors of the live season each year as well as the Stony Brook Film Festival. In 2019, CMM Cares made an unprecedented gift commitment of $450,000 to the Staller Center toward a new modern sound system for both the main stage theater and recital hall. The new sound system provided a much-needed upgrade to both theaters and created a new sleek look and dynamic sound performance. The Staller Center relies on private donors to continue to bring such a high caliber of performers to Long Island, keep ticket prices affordable, and benefit critical arts and education outreach in the community.
  • East End Arts – East End Arts serves the five East End towns of Long Island by building and enriching the community through the arts. CMM Cares, in partnership with Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, has offered legal workshops to aspiring artists through East End Arts to help them turn their love for art into a business. CMM Cares has also provided critical funding to the beloved arts organization. Scott Middleton received the Community Impact Award in 2018 in recognition of his work with CMM and CMM Cares to promote leadership, collaboration, access, and education.
  • Gallery North – A nonprofit gallery dedicated to presenting exhibitions of contemporary artists and stimulating interest in the arts by offering innovative educational programs, Gallery North has been a Long Island institution since the 1960s. In addition to providing financial support, CMM Cares has helped spread the word about Gallery North and its mission by arranging for the display of artwork by Gallery North artists at the famed East End summer event The Hampton Classic.

Adopted Family Initiative

  • Today, while we continue supporting our friends mentioned above, CMM Cares primarily focuses on supporting Long Island families in need who have faced unprecedented challenges. Learn more about this exciting new initiative here.

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