American Notes Philanthropy

The Gambino crime family is not usually known for good works. Its deeds are more likely to be chronicled in FBI reports about the Mob. There is one place, however, where the surname Gambino gets respect: Schneider Children's Hospital in New Hyde Park, N.Y., which has received a $2 million gift from Thomas and Joseph Gambino in memory of their late father Carlo. The money is funding a + pediatric bone-marrow-transplant unit, the only such facility in the state. When it opens, it will bear the Gambino name.

That could pose an image problem for the hospital. After all, Carlo Gambino was the last of the old-style Godfathers, and his two sons were indicted for racketeering last year. In accepting the donation, however, Schneider officials take a practical view. "Our mission," says a spokeswoman, "is to save lives." The father of a future patient puts the issue more starkly: "I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I have a daughter who will die if she doesn't get a transplant."