Enviable Life Ball 2023

2023 Leadership Award Recipients: The Lever Family

The ACLD Foundation is proud to honor the Lever Family at the 2023 Enviable Life Ball.

Carol A. Lever and her family have been directly involved with ACLD for 50 years, but her support for the greater intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community began in her childhood.

In 1945, Carol's younger brother, Robert, was born with IDD, giving Carol a deep and comprehensive understanding of the hardship parents and siblings of children with IDD faced. This experience instilled in her a passion and commitment for supporting this community that has lasted her entire lifetime. In 1960, Carol married her late husband Harold M. Lever, and together they had two sons, David and Jeffrey. Jeffrey was also born with IDD. Both Carol and Harold thus made it their life's mission to provide Jeffrey with the best possible care throughout his lifetime. 

Carol and Harold were first introduced to ACLD by their friends Rita and Art Engel, whose son attended ACLD's after-school program. Both families were pleased with this program but were looking for a future plan for their children that would eventually provide dignified and quality housing opportunities for them. The Engels and Levers approached ACLD's then Executive Director, Aaron Liebowitz, with this request, to which he replied, "Stick with us. We will have a program for you." Liebowitz kept his promise, and in 1987, Jeffrey became a founding resident of the Great Neck Residence, which he has called home for the last 36 years. Jeffrey has also attended Glen Cove Bridges Day Program since 2005.

The entire Lever family has been integral members of the ACLD community, witnessing its growth and innovation over the years. In the late 1980s, Harold brokered a real estate deal which provided ACLD office space in Westbury. He donated his entire commission to the agency, hoping that the donation would contribute to keeping ACLD's mission moving forward. In the early 1990s, Carol joined the then ACLD Board of Trustees, where she served for several years. Carol was also a founding member of the Planned Giving Society, which allowed a person to support ACLD through a bequest in a will, trust, or other planned giving instrument. After Harold's untimely passing in 2003, Carol remained involved in ACLD. Her partner, Roy Grover, has supported her and ACLD's mission for many years.

Just as his mother had a front-row seat to the early years of ACLD, her son David grew up witnessing the growth of ACLD and the opportunities it provided to his brother and his peers. David is a founding member at Lever & Ecker, PLLC, a boutique personal injury law firm where he exclusively focuses on advocating for the legal rights of accident victims who were seriously injured through no fault of their own. In 2020, David was asked to join the ACLD Board of Directors, which he has fully embraced. He views his increasing involvement in ACLD as a way of honoring his family’s legacy of supporting an organization that has allowed his brother and many others to learn, thrive and live a life filled with meaning and dignity. By sharing their story, the Lever family, including David’s wife Lisa and their daughter Allison, hope to inspire others to help carry out ACLD's mission to provide enviable lives to all who are fortunate to turn to ACLD for support.