Teaneck, NJ — Lloyd Stabiner, is a caring, hard working, and talented financial expert, who has served on The Center for Family Support Board (CFS) for over 36 years, 25 of them as Chairman. He is a humble person and does not seek the spotlight for himself, even though he is truly a star.
His story begins when his boss asked him to determine the reasons for CFS’s increasing financial stress. His boss’s wife, then a CFS Board member, was concerned that the agency would not be able to provide the vital homecare services for those children with Down Syndrome and their families, and fulfill the agency’s mission. Lloyd paid the CFS Board a call and began to dig into the dollars and cents of this roughly half a million dollar agency.
His second task was to determine the effect of the ever-increasing financial stress without changing the current care standards. Based on his knowledge and experience in the healthcare industry, Lloyd was aware that things had begun to change in government and that a need for programs subsidizing respite care had finally gained recognition. He determined that change to the business model of the part of the organization was required. Taken in by the mission of CFS, its dedicated staff and volunteers, Lloyd then joined the Board in 1979. As a Board member he designed a plan and assisted in renegotiating the government contract for CFS. Since that time, he has been a devoted volunteer, so much so that he has only missed two Board meetings in all those years. He explained that one was over President’s weekend and he took part in the meeting by phone on the way up to a family ski weekend. He believes in leadership by example and said he felt it important to portray by example, a volunteer who was always willing to go the extra mile to support the CFS mission.
When asked what keeps him coming back, he says simply, “We are making people’s lives better and more tolerable. Some need more help than others, but none of them could do this on their own. Someone might have a better life because of what I am able to do, and this has enriched my life.”
Lloyd imparts also that it has been an interesting thirty plus years. When he first became Chairman, the scandal involving the Willowbrook State School, a state-supported institution for children with intellectual disability located in the Willowbrook neighborhood on Staten Island, had just broken and the world was recovering from the shock of the abuse that was on every television set during Geraldo Rivera’s hard hitting news broadcasts.
“We knew we had the expertise to help some of those patients and we needed to find an Executive Director who was going to be able to take us in that direction. That was when we hired Steve Vernikoff, and he and I have worked very well together over the past twenty five years. Our new leadership team, guided by new goals and objectives set out by the Board, saw the CFS agency expand its services to include group home living and day programs for those adults with intellectual disabilities. The agency also expanded over state lines, incorporating in 1996 and opening their first group home in New Jersey in 1998. The services we were offering were needed and more importantly we continued the culture of providing a superior quality of care. As a result, we continued to expand and presently our annual budget is close to $45,000,000 and we employ over a thousand employees. On a daily basis over 170 people are cared for in the homes that we own and maintain, and we visit 750 people living at home with their families and some 200 in day programs.”
One of Lloyd’s fondest memories of CFS came in the form of a social gathering that was created for those individuals they served. He explained, “We decided that we wanted to give a holiday party for our service recipients. First, we raised funds for that specific purpose and then rented a beautiful room. We then invited everyone that we served and their families. The men and women got dressed up for the occasion and we had music and they danced and just enjoyed being with each other in a social atmosphere. It gave me such a good feeling to know that I was a part of making this happen for them. “
Additionally, Lloyd said there were times when he would visit a group home and see a constituent who had mastered the task of making dinner on their own. “The smiles were so rewarding and that is what brought me back time and time again; the thought that someone was more independent and living the life they were capable of because of our efforts,” he continued.
Lloyd credits his 50 years in the healthcare and real estate financial world as having given him the expertise to guide this agency through sometimes-treacherous waters.
Lloyd is quick to laud the CFS staff and credits them with an amazing stamina to work with the individuals everyday and he calls that dedication, ‘remarkable.’ During recent times, CFS has embraced the ‘person-centered’ philosophy for those they serve and as such, are succeeding where many agencies are failing by granting the wishes of those with intellectual disabilities and enabling them to live on their own with just the right amount of gentle supports from CFS. It is Lloyd’s hope that as more of those with intellectual disabilities become part of the fabric of their communities, that more and more neighbors and friends will come to know them, and appreciate the gifts they have to offer.
In addition to his career, he enlightened young minds as an adjunct lecturer at New York City Community College and at New York University Graduate School, where he taught Real Estate Finance. He has a B.B.A from Pace University and an M.P.A. from New York University. Lloyd served as Chairman of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants Chief Financial Officers Committee and also served on various other committees within that organization. Upon retiring, he started a company, called Fulcire Wealth Management, LLC, an investment advisory firm, servicing a small niche clientele. He resides in Teaneck, NJ with his wife Alice of 36 years. They have two children, Lisa and Josh. Alice has over 45 years’ experience as an educator, Lisa is a research director at a local television station and Josh is the Chief Information Security Officer for a major Hedge Fund. He is a proud grandfather and spends two days each week caring for his three year old granddaughter, Julia. When he isn’t working or watching Julia, he enjoys a good golf game and keeping up his 4th degree black belt in the local Tae-Kwon-Do establishment. As with everything he does, Lloyd looks at the future with a positive eye and a willingness to devote his time and talent to make his part of the world a better place.
