Honoring Women of Achievement - Long Island Press

February 22, 2007

When Marcie Mazzola was 11, she claimed she was sexually abused by a school bus driver. The case went to court, and a jury acquitted the driver. The outcome did not stop her and when she was 19, Marcie went to an attorney, on her own, and filed a civil suit.

But she would not see the result of her efforts. On July 6, 2002, Marcie was killed in a car accident on her way home from work. She was 21. Marcie's attorney contacted her family, asking if they wanted him to proceed with the litigation, but cautioned them that without Marcie's testimony, the case would be almost impossible to win. He also said that Marcie had confided to him that if she won the case, she would donate her entire settlement to help abused and at-risk children. Marcie's family gave him the go-ahead, the estate won the civil suit, and the proceeds were used as seed money to establish the Marcie Mazzola Foundation.

Marcie's stepmother, Nancy Mazzola, has been tireless in launching the foundation and keeping Marcie's memory alive and flourishing. "When Marcie died, there was a two-hour wait to get into the funeral home, she touched so many people," Nancy said. "On the one-year anniversary of her death, the owner of [Irish pub] Napper Tandys (where Marcie had worked) contacted us about putting together a fund-raiser. In three hours we raised $17,000."

Under Nancy's direction, the Marcie Mazzola Foundation has raised more than $120,000 at just three fund-raising events, and has distributed the proceeds to many children's charities, including EAC's Suffolk County Child Advocacy Center, which supports physically and sexually abused children. Nancy said about the EAC, "This organization was the perfect fit for our mission." Nancy has gone on to work part time at the EAC.

The foundation's biggest event, held every November, is the Butterfly Auction, a silent/live auction and dinner.

"We named this event the Butterfly Auction because after Marcie passed on, we would see butterflies all over the place in odd locations. My husband, Paul, saw one when it was 40 degrees out," said Nancy. This year's auction raised $57,000 and the proceeds were donated to the EAC, the Smile Train, Coalition Against Child Abuse and Neglect, the New York Organ Donor Network and Island Harvest Kids Alliance.

The foundation's next major event is a race/walk that will be held on April 15 to benefit the Huntington YMCA Summer Camp Program." We're interested in many different organizations where there is a need and our goal is to establish more programs." she said.

"The best tribute I can give Marcie's life is to have fun, positive events that help people, and to continue to do what Marcie started," she said, adding, "I see this foundation getting big. It's my passion and a way to deal with the loss of Marcie."

For more information, call 631-858-1855, or visit www.marciemazzolafoundation.org.

Reprinted with permission from Long Island Press. View original article here.