16 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MARCH 2021
HOW A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IS HELPING LOCAL BIZ
“Many small business and restaurant
owners spent their entire life creating
their business, and I’d like to help them
as much as I could,” Donnelly said on
the GoFundMe page he set up titled
“Help Long Island Small Businesses” at
Gofundme.com/f/saveLibusiness.
Formal programs like the Paycheck
Protection Program were put in place
nationwide to assist companies amid
Covid-19, providing a lifeline to businesses.
Asset Enhancement Solutions,
based in Uniondale, has helped more
than 1,000 companies, including many
on Long Island, obtain well over $100
million in PPP funding.
“Most of the Long Island small business
community is still reeling from the
economic impact of the pandemic," AES
President Neil Seiden said.
AES has been helping companies obtain
funds through PPP's round two, offering
free webinars and explaining the
program and documentation required
to complete applications, in addition to
helping companies seeking financing.
"AES has been part of the Long Island
small business community for almost
18 years," Seiden said, "and we want this
community to survive and even thrive at
the other end of this economic struggle."
While PPP is the government’s principal
program to help, Donnelly has been doing
what he can locally, adopting small
businesses or at least launching GoFund-
Me campaigns that could inspire others
to do the same.
“Throughout my 16 years on Earth, these
small businesses have been there for
me,” Donnelly said.
He sees himself as also helping business
people, often entrepreneurs, who
devoted much of their life to building
a business that may have survived and
even thrived for decades.
“I also donate Covid supplies and materials,”
he said, “so they don’t need to spend
unnecessary money for supplies.”
Then there’s the promotion of the
company, reminding people that local
businesses they love are there — and
need and deserve their business.
“Angelina’s is a staple in the community
here in Lynbrook,” Donnelly said of
his first GoFundMe campaign for the
restaurant owned by Vincent Sorrentino.
“Vinny is extremely family friendly
and outgoing. I felt if I was to help someplace,
it would be them.”
Garden City Skin Care Center, the second
source of a campaign, is owned by Kelly
Martinez, who said her business closed
for four months due to the coronavirus
and reopened with Covid-19 precautions.
Martinez has been a technician at Garden
City Skin Care Center for more than 20
years, but seven years ago bought the company,
when her boss wanted to retire. She
poured her soul into the company, which
began to struggle because of the pandemic.
“She told me her story,” Donnelly said.
“I figured that they could use any help
and if I could muster up some money, it
would help.”
Buying the business let Martinez and
her co-workers continue to have a place
to work and to serve clients.
“I applied for many things,” Kelly says on
the GoFundMe page of one source of support.
“I cleaned out my bank account.”
She has invested in supplies and
Covid-19-related materials and has been
tested for the virus every two weeks for
her clients’ safety since June.
Companies such as AES have been providing
help in getting a PPP lifeline and
funding in general. Meanwhile, individuals
like Donnelly are doing what they
can, as well.
Rather than setting up a new GoFundMe
campaign for each business, Donnelly
has been raising $1,000 for one business
– and then the next.
“It’s all the same campaign, really,” he
said of the push to raise funds through
a single bigger campaign for small businesses
on Long Island.
PRESS BUSINESS
continued from page 15
"I cleaned out my bank account,"
says Kelly Martinez.
H MART, AMERICA’S BEST ASIAN SUPERMARKET
If you’ve never shopped at H Mart
before, then you’ll be in for a
surprise! H Mart is a food paradise
waiting for you in several cities in
the United States!
H Mart, the popular Asian-
American supermarket chain with
three locations in Long Island, helps
Long Island residents to prepare the
freshest, most creative, and most
delicious meals for their families.
H Mart is short for “Han Ah Reum,”
meaning “one arm full” in Korean.
The supermarket is known for
its massive array of goods and
specializing in both traditional
Asian and American groceries, with
fresh produce, meat, poultry, fish,
and RTC (Ready-To-Cook) items.
H Mart offers a variety of Asian
products including Japanese,
Korean, Chinese, and more. H
Mart has a heritage of quality,
innovative ideas, and a desire for
the new and now.
Since the first H Mart opened
in Woodside in 1982, the New
Jersey-based company has
grown to more than 90 stores
across 14 states. H Mart recently
has opened a new location in
Flushing, at 144-74 Northern
Boulevard, at 146th Street,
bringing its total fleet to 11
stores in the state of New York.
H Mart Smart Savings Card is a
free loyalty membership program
that allows customers to redeem
a $10 gift card every 1,000 points
($1=1point). Smart Card members
are provided with special deals and
exclusive benefits. Customers can
sign up for a new Smart Savings
Card through the H Mart mobile
app, available on Apple Store
and Google Play, featuring smart
shopping tools and easy access to
weekly sales.
The company also boasts its
popular Food Hall, a series of
Asian inspired food halls with
food concept curated by local,
national and international chefs.
Since its inception, it has caught
on with the media and masses.
Whether you’re buying food
for dinner or for your weekly
grocery shopping, H Mart’s daily
items, special finds, and flavorful
items from Asia will satisfy your
needs.
H Mart is located at 336 North
Broadway in Jericho, 400 Hillside
Ave. in Williston Park, and 495
Great Neck Rd. in Great Neck. For
more information visit hmart.com
Information about events,
special promotions, and sales are
available on the H Mart’s website
(www.hmart.com), Facebook and
Instagram page (@hmartofficial).
SPONSORED
H Mart store in Jericho, NY.
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