Jackie's Secret Garden

My wife Jackie Meltzer Hudak used to love pushing her stroller through the Village of Sea Cliff to take our kids to the Children's Library for story time.  Having herself grown up in Brooklyn, she considered this to be a true privilege of small town living.  The Sea Cliff Children's Library is a special place run by librarian Ms. Anne DiPietro, a Sea Cliff institution in her own right.  When Jackie passed away almost five years ago from adrenal cancer, we asked our family and friends to make a donation to the Sea Cliff Children's Library in lieu of flowers.  At the time, it seemed like everyone must have done both as we were truly overwhelmed by the level of love and support that we received.  The time has now come, to do something with the money and give back to our wonderful community.  Working with the Friends of the Sea Cliff Library, Ms. Anne and project leaders Madeline Mahnken and Todd Korte, we have developed a plan to revitalize the grounds of the library and create a beautiful garden in the back yard.  This beautiful, secret garden will be a special place where a new generation of Sea Cliff moms will be able to take their kids for story time and picnic lunches.  Our goal is to raise an additional $10,000 before the end of April when we close down our fundraising efforts and finalize plans to move forward with construction.  I ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible donation to this project through this website or by mailing a check to the Friends of the Sea Cliff Library, 281 Sea Cliff Ave. Sea Cliff, NY 11579, please put "Secret Garden" in the memo section of your check.  Thank you for your consideration.