Halo Laser & Aesthetic Medicine recently donated $2,000 to the Strong Kids Foundation at the North Suburban YMCA, which serves 15 communities.
Halo Co-Founders Dr. Promila Banerjee and Stan Menezes had pledged to donate 10 percent of all profits from the company’s 3rd Anniversary Celebration to the Foundation, which provides financial aid to families who need assistance paying for the YMCA’s programs. One in five people at the North Suburban YMCA receives financial assistance.
Dr. Banerjee and Mr. Menezes firmly believe in giving back to the community and are grateful for all the community support they’ve received since opening their business in 2015. In addition to this donation, Halo has contributed $5,500 to the Foundation within the past year.
"We firmly believe in the YMCA’s mission because it benefits local women and children and helps build strong kids, strong families and strong communities,” Dr. Banerjee says. As one of four children born to working parents, Dr. Banerjee was a “Y Kid” growing up. The YMCA was a second home to her and laid the foundation for a passion for community service, team work and leading a healthy lifestyle.
“We are in a very affluent community, but we don’t realize how many families need assistance to pay for summer camp or life-saving swim lessons,” Dr. Banerjee says. “There are working parents and single moms whose kids need to go to summer camp. Kids pick up weight and lose focus over the summer. We must keep the kids engaged all year long! What better way than to put them in summer camp? To many families, summer camp is a privilege not a given.”
The North Suburban YMCA has won recognition for “Best Summer Camp” year after year and, in 2018, is celebrating 50 years of service and dedication to 15 different townships in the North Shore. On behalf of the Strong Kids Foundation at the NSYMCA, Dr. Banerjee encourages the North Shore community to support the YMCA’s mission in any way possible and to take part in the 50th anniversary celebrations.
Halo would also like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Gustafson for their very generous contribution of $1,000 toward the Strong Kids Foundation.
In the Photo: Halo Co-Founders Stan Menezes (left) and Dr. Promila Banerjee present their $2,000 donation to Howard Schultz, President and CEO of the North Suburban YMCA, and Kim Nyren, the YMCA’s Vice President of Marketing Outreach.