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June 29, 2022EFNENY Executive Director Celebrates 35 years
Executive Director, Jeannine Garab, of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York celebrated 35 years of service this June. Garab first joined the staff of the foundation as a part-time employee in 1987, and later served as an intern while completing her degree at the College of Saint Rose. Garab was named Executive Director in 1991.
Garab led the fundraising, board development and outreach efforts that enabled the foundation to survive and ultimately thrive as an advocate and service provider for people with epilepsy and their families. She was instrumental in the growth of the agency, starting with 9 counties and growing to the current 22 counties we serve in Northeastern New York today.
Over the past few years, Garab successfully led the organization through the pandemic, maintaining all programs and services for people with epilepsy and keeping the staff fully employed. During this time, she also focused on growing the board of directors, bringing on many new volunteers from various walks of life.
Recently, she has established a partnership with the Adirondack Foundation to bring more services, epilepsy education and awareness to people living with epilepsy in the north country.
Each November, Garab leads a marketing and awareness campaign in an effort to reach the 45,000 people who are affected by epilepsy in northeastern New York.
In addition to being the executive director, she also serves as Chair of the Board of the Epilepsy Coalition of New York State. Over the years, she has also played an active role serving on committees at the National Epilepsy Foundation. Garab was a past recipient of the Women of Excellence Award from the Capital Region Chamber. She was also recognized as a Community Hero by the Tri City ValleyCats and as a Prominent Alumni by the College of Saint Rose.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder defined as having two or more recurring seizures; it can happen to anyone, at any age, at any time. One in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy in their lifetime. Epilepsy is more common than Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined. For more information, call the Epilepsy Foundation at 518-456-7501 or visit our website at www.efneny.org.
