Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto and Kids Helping Kids by Kids Way, Inc. Founder Robert AJ Eslick are pleased to announce the winners of the Kids of Distinction Program, created this year to recognize exceptional youngsters in the Town of Oyster Bay. The winners were selected by the organization Kids Helping Kids by Kids Way, Inc., which established a seven-member committee to judge applications as they poured in through April.

"The committee worked very hard to weed through the many nomination forms that came from all over the Town of Oyster Bay," Supervisor Venditto said. "We have so many exceptional young people living in the Town that I'm certain it wasn't easy selecting just six recipients."

The committee, comprised of individuals from various fields, included Robert F. Eslick, Executive Director, Kids Helping Kids; Dr. Martin Brooks, Superintendent, Plainview-Old Bethpage School District; Mitchell S. Klipper, COO, Barnes & Noble; Rhonda Samuels, President, Long Island Board of Managers, Cancer Care; Steve Battino, Zeidman, Lackowitz, Prisand & Co., LLP; Paul Eberenz, Woodbury Country Deli; and Reed Mauser, a recent graduate of Yale University who says the Kids Helping Kids organization has had a great impact on his life.

"This program is very much geared toward recognizing activities done on a youngster's own initiative," Robert AJ Eslick said. "We want to recognize kids who participate in activities for the benefit of their community or neighborhood, outside of school-related activities."

Elora Dannon Rosch, an eighth-grader at Howitt Middle School and Farmingdale resident, was one of six winners.

Rosch has many accomplishments to speak of despite her young age. A highly-skilled vocalist, she has volunteered her time performing and singing for various organizations and groups, including performances at the annual tree lighting ceremony at EAB Plaza and during a Long Island Ducks Baseball game.

This past summer, Rosch, unfortunately, became ill and was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, an illness which attacks the inside lining of the small intestine. Knowing little about the disease, she tried to educate herself and found that there was little information available. Hoping to make others aware of Celiac Disease, even after she was free of it, Rosch decided to help educate others as part of her work toward earning her Silver Medal Award with the Hardscrabble Girl Scout Cadette Troop. She designed a pamphlet about the effects Celiac Disease has on children, helping to spread the word about the illness to others.

This summer Rosch plans to volunteer at A Hole in the Wall Camp founded by Paul Newman and Charles R. Wood in upstate New York, a camp for children with serious illnesses and life threatening diseases.

Winners were recognized during a special ceremony at the meeting of the Oyster Bay Town Board on Tuesday, May 24, at Town Hall North. They were presented with a plaque and $500 scholarship from Kids Helping Kids.

"There are many young individuals who have contributed to the great quality of life we enjoy here in the Town of Oyster Bay," Supervisor Venditto said. "We feel it is important to recognize our young residents who involve themselves in voluntary community, charity or civic activities on their own individual initiative. They now have the opportunity to be recognized for their outstanding achievements and will surely stand as role models for their peers."