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Charity Begins at the GT Club

Jacqueline Collot, founder of the Julien Collot Foundation, with her son Julien.
Although most people associate Ferraris with privilege, wealth and prestige, Ferraris also play a vital role in helping the needy, fundraising for worthy causes and making meaningful contributions to society.  Such was the case recently when Ferrari Maserati of Long Island held a GT Club event to raise childhood cancer awareness. More than $25,000 in contributions was collected for the Julien Collot Foundation.

Organized by the dealership’s GT Club manager, Laurie Falzone, the road rally and brunch were supported by enthusiastic clients and friends.

A strong turnout of Ferrari owners were proud to support the event.
Says Falzone: "All of our GT Club events are for the purpose of raising money for charity.  We are highly honored to have corporate sponsors who donate between $1,500 and $2,000 to have their companies and logos displayed at the event."  In addition, the gourmet brunch was donated by restaurateur Guiliano Botticelli, owner of The Inn at New Hyde Park, resulting in a 100-percent efficient donation to the foundation.  Of course there is no shortage of charitable organizations looking for financial support and Laurie is always happy to respond.

Falzone recalls: "We discover many of our charities from our clients. Our most popular charity is AnySoldier.com, which supports our troops in Iraq.  The Julien Collot Foundation was referred to us by our client, Francine Discipio, a friend of founder, Jacqueline Collot.  GT Club events are not just about cars. They’re about a strong sense of social responsibility.  Attendance is always huge and everyone really enjoys the activity."

The GT Club of Ferrari Maserati of Long Island frequently schedules events  to support local charities.  Another rally was held Sept. 21 to support a neighborhood mammography van that does free breast cancer screenings.  The key sponsors were Ferrari clients, Alfred Discipio, who donated the services of his LaVilla Restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn and Antoine Dominic.

For information on attending a GT Club event in your area, contact your local Ferrari dealership.