Carolyn Fostel, charity fundraiser, dies

Carolyn Fostel, a former teacher who went on to lead fundraising and charitable efforts for Long Island hospitals, colleges and banks, has died at 62.

The cause was complications from a rare blood disorder, said a close friend, Judith Jedlicka.

Fostel, a longtime Oyster Bay resident, recently retired from Astoria Federal Savings in New Hyde Park as the company's vice president for community relations. There, she founded the "Kids Tools for School" program, which provided school supplies to thousands of disadvantaged students each year.

"She went well beyond the scope of just addressing requests for support and sending checks," said Jedlicka, who worked with Fostel on several of her philanthropic projects. "She was really known for her networking."

After earning an undergraduate degree in English from Fordham University and a masters in education from St. John's, Fostel taught at a parochial elementary school in Queens and was an adjunct professor at St. John's.

But she soon sought out a career in development. She worked at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and North Shore University Hospital, where she created the "Celebrate Life" quilt project.

Fostel was also a trustee for the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington while Matthew Campo was director of development.

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"She understood the nonprofit community in a way that many people didn't," Campo said. "She was about relationships and partnering with people. It always went deeper."

When Campo left the museum to be executive director at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island, he continued to work with Fostel through her capacity at Astoria Federal.

"It wasn't just about Astoria giving money away," Campo said. "It was about her really caring about the organizations she was supporting."

Jedlicka said Fostel's background as a teacher made educational causes a priority. And outside of the office, she was a serious enough collector of wedding cake toppers that she wrote articles for antiques magazines.

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"She was a detail-oriented person, but such a caring person as well," Jedlicka said. "Many of the people who do what she did have big egos. She was ego-less, and never wanted credit for anything."

Fostel is survived by her mother, Lucille Fostel, also of Oyster Bay.

Funeral Mass is Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Dominic Church, 93 Anstice St., Oyster Bay. Burial will follow at St. John's Cemetery in Middle Village.