1986- What A Beginning

In its first full year of operation, over 2,000 children shared precious moments at NY Mets baseball outings at Shea Stadium, a Valentines Day party, field days at special schools, and (for over 400 kids) a joyful Christmas party.

The year also saw the creation of a volunteer group which helps make No Small Affair’s activities possible.  Forty people that year contributed their time to supervise the children at No Small Affair’s various events.

No one could have anticipated the incredible growth of No Small Affair from its modest beginnings in 1986, or the publicity that followed.  Maybe it’s the special joy shared by the children, the volunteers, and the contributors which led to articles in the NEW YORK TIMES, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, NEWARK STAR-LEDGER, and NEWSDAY.

Every outing in 1986 laid the groundwork for the Foundation’s continuing success in reaching out to children so that they can enjoy the simple things in life – food, music, small gifts, entertainment, and even a home run.

The Present

Over the course of the past twenty plus years, No Small Affair has achieved various milestones. 1989 was the year of the 10,000th child participating in the Foundation’s activities. 12 years later, the 50,000th child took part in a No Small Affair event. And while all these events were taking place, we continued to focus on deepening the quality of our great programs to try and make each child’s experience even more meaningful. And throughout our history, we have maintained our feature event, the Annual No Small Affair Christmas party. It is an extraordinary event that takes place at Leonard’s of Great Neck each year. Over 500 children are treated to an evening of entertainment, dinner, gifts, dancing all night to a DJ, and even a visit from Santa Claus.

The charter members in 1985 could not possibly have foreseen the growth in the Foundation’s activities.  And with the continuing support of the sponsors, the contributors, and the volunteers, new milestones are sure to be reached in the years ahead. 

In 2009, No Small Affair will continue to fulfill its mission throughout the New York metropolitan region- to reach out and share special moments with children who very much need these memories. As a caseworker at a baseball game once said, “A special outing at the ball park is important to these kids because it lets them know that somebody cares.”