Gurwin honors extraordinary volunteer

The Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has honored Gary Robinson with its Dorothy & Dr. David I. Schachne award for extraordinary volunteer service.

“Gary has devoted more than 2,000 hours over a two-year span to our Adult Day Health Program registrants,” said Gurwin Director of Volunteer Services Kathleen Donnelly. “He is well-known on the Gurwin campus for the kindness, patience and sensitivity he shows to all. Gary is a ‘people person’ who believes that his volunteer work gives him as much joy as those he helps.”

Director of the Adult Day Health Program, Jeraldine Fedoriw, was pleased that Gary was rewarded for the difference he makes with program registrants.

“Gary has a great sense of humor and his musical abilities are enjoyed by both the staff and our registrants,” she said. “He has an innate sense of music and movement and often can be seen dancing, singing and playing guitar, much to the delight of all around him.”

“Gary’s personality and professionalism embody the spirit of the Schachne Award, which recognizes volunteers ‘whose acts of loving kindness bring joy and comfort to our residents’,” Donnelly said. “We are grateful for his service.”

Robinson spent his youth in Huntington and Glen Cove and has ties to Long Island’s Shinnecock reservation. After graduating from high school, he became a trained mechanic for Grumman and worked on the F-14 fighter jet program. Now retired, he devotes much of his time to the Adult Day Health Program, housed on the Gurwin campus in Commack, which provides healthcare services and socialization for those with chronic illness and cognitive or physical challenges in a safe and stimulating environment. The program also offers access to on-site clinical services, meals, transportation and respite for caregivers. 

Robinson is the 12th recipient of the award, which is presented annually to an outstanding volunteer at Gurwin.

The Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a 460-bed nursing care facility located in Commack. Gurwin offers skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, medical/post-surgical subacute care, respiratory and ventilator dependent care, an adult day health program, on-site dialysis, hospice care, home care and assisted living.