Listen to this articleA new scholarship fund has been created in honor of NYPD Detective Jonathan Diller, the Massapequa resident who was shot and killed in March during a traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens. Announced Monday at Mulcahy’s Pub & Concert Hall in Wantagh, the scholarship will benefit students at St. Mary’s High School, Diller’s alma mater, in Manhasset.
A kick-off fundraiser is slated for Nov. 20, from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at Mulchay’s, The event will feature a tribute to Diller as well as food, drinks, raffle prizes and entertainment. The proceeds raised from the event will directly fund annual tuition scholarships for students at St. Mary’s High School, from which Diller graduated in 2010. The fund was organized and established by Larry Weinberger, president of MGD Investments who gathered supporters and sponsors.
“Detective Diller’s dedication to police work, and his love of being a police officer, was apparent to all who knew him,” Weinberger said in a news release about the scholarship fund.
“This fund will create a never-ending legacy for Detective Diller as every year the high school Jonathan attended, St. Mary’s, will select a student[s] in need of support pursuing their education and career goals,” he added.
Diller’s wife, Stephanie Diller, said St. Mary’s played an important role in her husband’s education.
“Jonathan always talked so fondly about his time there and he always was involved in sports and was very active and that’s what made him into the person he was,” Stephanie Diller said in the news release about the scholarship. “I want the scholarship to go to someone who is just like Jonathan and to have that experience and to continue for people to become like him… We need more of Jonathan in the world.”
Gerard Buckley, the principal of St. Mary’s, spoke of his gratitude.
“We are immensely blessed and express our humble gratitude to Mrs. Stephanie Diller, who has generously directed all proceeds from the event to be donated to St. Mary’s High School in her husband’s name,” Buckley said in the news release.
The fund is garnering support from the business community, with sponsors including Mulcahy’s MGD Investments, Dream Studios and the EGC Group. In addition to the NYPD, law enforcement supporters include the police departments in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Elected officials also expressed support.
Admission to the Nov. 10 fundraiser is $65, and tickets can be purchased here. More information about the scholarship fund is available here.