The United Way of Long Island honors those heroes who have brought optimism into our lives in a year that has been extraordinarily challenging. These deserving heroes have shown acts of kindness, courage and care, ultimately making a positive impact on our lives. This includes champions from healthcare, retail, restaurant, non-profit, food grocery, public service, education, small businesses, labor unions, and more.
Kristy Chao
Kristy Chao is the Office Manager of a Nassau County non profit called BEST (Backstretch Employee Service Team of NY). BEST`s mission is to assist the mostly indigent and immigrant population (consisting of several thousand people) who work in the barn area of New York`s most prominent horse racing tracks including Belmont Park in Elmont. These workers, known as backstretch workers, were impacted in a major way by COVID-19 due to their communal living and work arrangements. BEST took a major leadership role in protecting this vulnerable population and Kristy voluntarily took a leadership role in BEST`s efforts as she coordinated the implementation of close to 3,000 COVID tests and coordinated with Northwell, in the vaccination of 90% of the backstretch workers currently at Belmont Park. This tireless work occurred over a year`s time and as a front line worker involved some risk in contracting the virus. Kristy took all necessary precautions against getting COVID and showed much courage in carrying out her role. As a result of her efforts and the efforts of others, hundreds of backstretch workers were protected against COVID and the racing industry and the thousands of jobs it provides, was enabled to re-open. Kristy forever humble, is truly a hero during this challenging period.