MARCH 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 15
Online fundraisers have been a saving grace for many struggling local small businesses impacted by the coronavirus. (Getty Images)
HOW A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IS HELPING LOCAL BIZ STAYING IN BUSINESS
BY CLAUDE SOLNIK
Gerard Donnelly, a junior at Chaminade High School in Mineola, has long been a regular
customer at Angelina’s Pizzeria and Restaurant in Lynbrook. Even when the pandemic hit, he
continued to order from the restaurant.
But he soon heard Angelina’s had closed its second location in Williston Park. The pandemic
was hitting Angelina’s hard, as well as many other businesses. Rather than simply watch,
Donnelly went to work — by fundraising.
Deciding to let adversity be the mother of invention Donnelly launched a GoFundMe campaign
to help the restaurant. A thousand dollars later, Donnelly had provided a helping hand for
Angelina’s, raising money and awareness. He then launched a GoFundMe campaign for
Garden City Skin Care Center in Garden City.
While residents can support a business by being customers, Donnelly is doing more — raising
funds. Donnelly created GoFundMe campaigns to essentially adopt a business, or help small
businesses under pressure from the pandemic. In the process he’s also been reminding
people that the local businesses they love often face their own challenges.
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