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HOLBROOK, N.Y. (May 22, 2019)—American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (AP), a privately-held, independent broker/dealer that services financial advisors across the country, has pledged $25,000 in charitable funds over a five-year period to Honor Flight Long Island (HFLI), a local chapter of the national Honor Flight Network—a non-profit organization that provides military veterans with free trips to visit the war memorials located in Washington, D.C.
“American Portfolios is committed to serving the community, both near and far, by being good corporate citizens,” states AP CEO Lon T. Dolber. “It’s important for people to find a cause that’s near and dear to their hearts, and to actively seek to make a difference and effect change—be it by raising funds for a local charity or devoting time to organizations that are in need of a helping hand.” Of the HFLI donation, which is made possible through the American Portfolios Foundation, Inc., Chief Financial Officer Damon Joyner states, “AP is not only recognizing the service of our country’s active and retired military service men and women, but we are also striving to further awareness and appreciation for their sacrifice. This donation is our way of honoring those who have taken the oath to serve our country.”
For more than a decade, AP has provided support to HFLI in various ways, including funding and volunteering. AP-affiliated investment professional William Donahue (Holbrook, N.Y.), who serves as an HFLI board member, acts as a guardian on honor flights twice each year and is the producer of Unspoken, Now Told: Soldier Stories, a documentary film series recorded pro-bono in Studio 454, AP’s in-house media production facility. “It is a labor of love because these vets gave so much, and yet received so little,” imparts Donohue of the film series that preserves the personal histories of our nation’s heroes. “There is a lesson to be learned from them.”
As part of the firm’s long-standing commitment to social responsibility, Dolber encourages AP employees and affiliated colleagues to take part in various forms of community outreach. On May 11, 2019, AP-affiliated financial advisor David Rey (David Rey Financial Group; Holbrook, N.Y.) and Sandra White (assistant to AP-affiliated financial advisor Barry S. Cohn; Holbrook, N.Y.) both served as guardians on the spring Honor Flight, which escorted 12 WWII and 37 Korean War veterans to the nation’s capital and its war memorials. HFLI not only organizes every possible detail of the trip to D.C., but also pairs veterans who cannot be accompanied by family members with guardians, whose primary role is to see to their veteran’s care, comfort and safety from departure to return. Rey, who accompanied 87-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Ed Rosenfeld, who served during the Korean War, had not just a fulfilling volunteer experience, but formed an everlasting bond with the veteran for whom he served as guardian. “We hit it off from the moment we met,” Rey states. “It was a truly amazing experience visiting the memorials and spending time with Ed and the many other veterans in our group. I witnessed the great respect people have for our military veterans. It was an unbelievable experience that I will never forget and I plan to stay in touch with my new friend, Ed, from here on.” White, who accompanied 82-year-old Rich Hedrick, a U.S. Navy veteran who served during the Korean War, was equally delighted by the experience. “It was great to listen to Rich talk about the era during which he served. It was an amazing time just to see these servicemen get to visit their war memorials and very touching to know that they were a part of it.”
As an integral part of its strategic focus, ingrained in AP’s corporate culture is a keen awareness to the community by taking part in socially responsible programs, such as its ongoing association with non-profit organizations like World T.E.A.M. (WT), which organizes athletic events for disabled and able-bodied citizens to achieve a common goal. Employees actively volunteer, coach and compete in WT events, including the annual Face of America bike ride, Coastal Team Challenge and Adventure Team Challenge. The firm also has a long-standing relationship with Virtual Enterprises International, Inc. (VEI), an experiential learning program that fosters the nation’s future business leaders, by hosting and judging business plan competitions, as well as facilitating summer interns at the corporate offices and practices of its investment professionals through its Internship Fellows Program. AP looks forward to participating in and supporting HFLI’s bi-annual veteran appreciation events.
About American Portfolios
Headquartered in Holbrook, N.Y., American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS) is a full-service, independent broker/dealer and member firm of FINRA and SIPC, offering a complete range of financial services, including personal financial and retirement planning, securities trading, mutual funds, access to investment research, long-term care planning, insurance products and tax-free investing. Fee-based asset management is offered through its sister subsidiary, American Portfolios Advisors, Inc., (APA), an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Both entities, along with technology entity American Portfolios Advisory Solutions, LLC, collectively reside under the legal entity American Portfolios Holdings, Inc. (APH). Full-service securities brokerage is available through a clearing firm relationship with Pershing, LLC, a BNY Mellon firm, the securities of which are held on a fully disclosed basis. The company currently serves 838 independent investment professionals located in 388 branch locations throughout the nation. It was named Broker-Dealer of the Year* (Division III) by Investment Advisor magazine in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, as well as one of the top Best Companies to Work for in the state of New York for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 by the New York State Society for Human Resources Management (NYS-SHRM) and the Best Companies Group (BCG).
*Based on a poll of registered representatives conducted by Investment Advisor magazine. Broker/dealers rated highest by their representatives are awarded “Broker/Dealer (B/D) of the Year.”
About American Portfolios Foundation, Inc.
American Portfolios Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that was originally created in New York in 2004 and amended in 2018 and headquartered in Holbrook, N.Y., is intended as a non-profit entity designed to advance awareness, assistance and support for charitable causes. Board members include AP CEO and President Lon T. Dolber, president; AP Chief Administrative Officer Dalchand Laljit, vice president; and AP Chief Financial Officer Damon Joyner, treasurer/secretary. Additionally, various roles are held by members of AP headquarters staff. The board meets on a quarterly basis to discuss its existing relationships with various charities and to determine the focus for various upcoming initiatives that will require the Foundation’s services and support.
About Honor Flight – Long Island
Honor Flight Network, of which Honor Flight Long Island (HFLI) is a part, has flown more than 180,000 veterans to Washington D.C. to see their war memorials—at no cost to them. While Honor Flight began as a program solely to honor WWII veterans, many “hubs” are now taking Korean War, Vietnam War and other conflict veterans to the nation’s capital to honor them for their service and sacrifice. HFLI operates on donations from local/regional organizations, businesses and individuals from across Long Island, New York. For more information, visit https://honorflightlongisland.org/.
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