Environmental Art Contest For Water Wise Land Use
Friday, 27 April 2012 00:00
Anton, Fluhr, Gulotta invited as guest judges
Art entries are being sought for a first annual Art Contest and Wine for Water Wise Land Use Party on June 14 at Old Bethpage Village Restoration. The contest and party is being hosted by Nassau County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) as part of the celebration of their 35th year working to protect and improve local natural resources.
Board member Jaime Van Dyke Doran said, “The art contest and party is an innovative way to raise a little money and bring a ton of focus to local environmental activities. The money raised will help us build sustainable gardens and support educational programs. Artists from all parts of the county have been entering their work from photographs of local landscapes to paintings of local wildlife.”
Prizes will be given in five categories: photography, woodworking, artwork/sculpture, pottery, and decorated pottery with a plant. Art submissions are due by June 1, and must reflect the natural environment. The submissions will be voted on by guest judges, publisher Angela Susan Anton, who also sits on the board of trustees for Nassau County Museum of Art; Betsy Gulotta of the Friends of Hempstead Plains and professor at Nassau Community College; and renowned portrait artist Nanette Fluhr of the Teaching Studios of Art in Oyster Bay and Art League of Long Island.
Anton said, “I am honored to be invited to participate as a judge in the organization’s first-ever art show. Its mission deserves recognition.”
The art will be judged at the Wine for Water Wise Land Use Party and will also be a part of a silent auction and the artists will be invited to the June 14 party. The party will feature Long Island wine and the jazzy sounds of Pearl Street, a North Shore area band.
Nassau County SWCD District Manager Brian Zimmerman said, “The art is being generously donated by artists who are looking to promote their business or talented hobbyists who just care about the environment and want to support the important work that the district does.”
Van Dyke Doran added, “The district works closely with so many influential people at nonprofits, businesses, and governmental agencies. We chose art as a different type of media to bring focus to all the work being done for the environment. Art has a way of helping cut through the noise and bring together people from all walks of life and different beliefs. It is a fantastic tool for environmental matters. A lot of art created reflects nature and can make people pause and reflect on what is important.”
Several Long Island wineries, including Waters Crest Winery whose owners are from the North Shore area of Nassau County, have joined the list of collaborating partners that will be offering food and beverages at the event. Whole Foods of Jericho, Rothmann’s Steakhouse of East Norwich and T.R.I. Us Catering of Westbury will also be offering a selection of finger foods and desserts at the party. T.R.I. Us Catering is a premiere partner that helps put people who are physically challenged to work and gives them vocational and life skills training.
Other sponsors include Sorenson Lumber of Glen Cove, Dee’s Nursery of Oceanside, Coach Grill & Tavern of Oyster Bay, Blick Art Materials of Carle Place, Berger Brothers Camera of Syosset, Martin Viette of East Norwich, Van Dyke Building & Construction Management of Oyster Bay, and Donna Martini who is a Nassau County Planning Commissioner and wellness advocate.
Tickets to just join the fun at the Water Wise Land Use Party are $25 if purchased in advance; tickets purchased after June 1 will be $35. They can be purchased on the district website www.nassauSWCD.org. All attendees will be entered into a door prize drawing for a special gift.
More information about the district’s programs and the Art Contest & Water Wise Land Use party on June 14 is available online at www.nassauSWCD.org, by emailing ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), or by calling (516) 677-5853.
-Christy Hinko contributed to this submission by Nassau County SWCD
News
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
After Massapequa resident Sol Goldstein and several friends helped finish building a house for a family 20 years ago for Habitat for Humanity, they had a question: “What do we do now?” They were all retired, had enjoyed working together and accomplishing something for a family in need, and wanted to do more.
“I was looking for something [to do] hands-on,” said Joe Botkin, of Williston Park, a retired principal, who had worked with Goldstein in building the home.
Soon, Goldstein, a retired technician and technical manager for ABC television, learned of a national volunteer organization based in Washington, D.C., that offered free home repairs for low-income seniors, persons with physical handicaps, veterans, and families with small children.
After sending $12 for a handbook, Goldstein and his friends began “Rebuilding Together Long Island,” now one of the 189 affiliates of “Rebuilding Together” around the country.
“It exploded,” Botkin said, attracting both people who needed home repairs and volunteers eager to do the work — everything from fixing a faucet to installing wheelchair access ramps to undertaking major repairs on homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
The group, based in Massapequa, is working on opening an office in Farmingdale. They will celebrate their 21st anniversary at their annual dinner, May 22, at Stuart Thomas Manor, Farmingdale. For information, call 516-541-7322.
“There has been a greater demand for our services since Superstorm Sandy,” noted Bob Ellis, director of Rebuilding Together Long Island, their only paid staff member. The organization has made major repairs on seven houses devastated by the hurricane, including three in Massapequa.
“We average about 100 homes a year,” Goldstein, president of Rebuilding Together Long Island, said. “We have about 300 volunteers” working on houses around Long Island, especially in Western Suffolk and Nassau.
“The experience of helping people is fantastic,” said Botkin. “We’ve all had good lives and we’re happy to give back. Besides, it beats sitting inside the house and watching the boob tube.”
“Our volunteers are mostly retired and they get a lot of joy in the good they do and in working with each other,” Ellis said.
Rebuilding Together relies on financial donations as well as donations of materials, supplies, equipment, and time from contractors and craftsmen, and others.
“We wish we could do more,” Botkin said.
Organizations like The Long Island Board of Realtors and the Nassau County Bar Association work with Rebuilding Together, offering donations as well as recruiting volunteers to work alongside them.
Rebuilding Together receives referrals from social services agencies, churches and other houses of worship, and veterans’ organizations.
Their projects vary. The organization does light carpentry, plumbing and some electrical work, but for any new electrical work, they hire an electrician. “We also do sheet rock and spackling. We paint only what we repair.”
Their biggest projects have been hurricane repairs. “That might take us two weeks,” Goldstein said. “On one of those homes, we had to put in 50 sheets of sheet rock.”
Others have noted the organization’s accomplishments.
“We are engaged in a joint endeavor with them to help people who can’t afford home repairs,” said Elaine Leventhal, director of We Care, the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association. “Our members, especially our Young Lawyers Committee, receive a lot of satisfaction working with them.”
Rebuilding Together also receives appreciation from those they have helped.
Cindy Johnson noted that Rebuilding Together built a ramp for her 93-year-old mother’s Massapequa Park home.
“It is a fantastic organization,” said Johnson.
Having the ramp has helped immensely for them to get their mother in and out of the house for medical treatment and even socially and recreationally.
“We took her outside for Mother’s Day and she said: ‘How wonderful it is to be in the sun,’” Johnson said.
“We also receive a lot of letters,” Goldstein said. “Many of them are heartwarming.”
“I’m very grateful for those wonderful people coming into my home and giving me the help that I needed very badly,” one Levittown woman wrote.
“Without your help, sometimes I think I would go under,” an Old Bethpage resident noted.
An 89-year-old Massapequa resident and her 92-year-old husband appreciated the work on their home, including a wheelchair ramp, which has helped her get safely in and out of their home for a doctor’s appointment, and also the installation of pull bars, which have helped him take showers without assistance.
“They did a magnificent job,” she wrote. “I cannot say enough to express my gratitude.”
Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00
After Massapequa resident Sol Goldstein and several friends helped finish building a house for a family 20 years ago for Habitat for Humanity, they had a question: “What do we do now?” They were all retired, had enjoyed working together and accomplishing something for a family in need, and wanted to do more.
“I was looking for something [to do] hands-on,” said Joe Botkin, of Williston Park, a retired principal, who had worked with Goldstein in building the home.
Soon, Goldstein, a retired technician and technical manager for ABC television, learned of a national volunteer organization based in Washington, D.C., that offered free home repairs for low-income seniors, persons with physical handicaps, veterans, and families with small children.
After sending $12 for a handbook, Goldstein and his friends began “Rebuilding Together Long Island,” now one of the 189 affiliates of “Rebuilding Together” around the country.
“It exploded,” Botkin said, attracting both people who needed home repairs and volunteers eager to do the work — everything from fixing a faucet to installing wheelchair access ramps to undertaking major repairs on homes damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
The group, based in Massapequa, is working on opening an office in Farmingdale. They will celebrate their 21st anniversary at their annual dinner, May 22, at Stuart Thomas Manor, Farmingdale. For information, call 516-541-7322.
“There has been a greater demand for our services since Superstorm Sandy,” noted Bob Ellis, director of Rebuilding Together Long Island, their only paid staff member. The organization has made major repairs on seven houses devastated by the hurricane, including three in Massapequa.
“We average about 100 homes a year,” Goldstein, president of Rebuilding Together Long Island, said. “We have about 300 volunteers” working on houses around Long Island, especially in Western Suffolk and Nassau.
“The experience of helping people is fantastic,” said Botkin. “We’ve all had good lives and we’re happy to give back. Besides, it beats sitting inside the house and watching the boob tube.”
“Our volunteers are mostly retired and they get a lot of joy in the good they do and in working with each other,” Ellis said.
Rebuilding Together relies on financial donations as well as donations of materials, supplies, equipment, and time from contractors and craftsmen, and others.
“We wish we could do more,” Botkin said.
Organizations like The Long Island Board of Realtors and the Nassau County Bar Association work with Rebuilding Together, offering donations as well as recruiting volunteers to work alongside them.
Rebuilding Together receives referrals from social services agencies, churches and other houses of worship, and veterans’ organizations.
Their projects vary. The organization does light carpentry, plumbing and some electrical work, but for any new electrical work, they hire an electrician. “We also do sheet rock and spackling. We paint only what we repair.”
Their biggest projects have been hurricane repairs. “That might take us two weeks,” Goldstein said. “On one of those homes, we had to put in 50 sheets of sheet rock.”
Others have noted the organization’s accomplishments.
“We are engaged in a joint endeavor with them to help people who can’t afford home repairs,” said Elaine Leventhal, director of We Care, the charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association. “Our members, especially our Young Lawyers Committee, receive a lot of satisfaction working with them.”
Rebuilding Together also receives appreciation from those they have helped.
Cindy Johnson noted that Rebuilding Together built a ramp for her 93-year-old mother’s Massapequa Park home.
“It is a fantastic organization,” said Johnson.
Having the ramp has helped immensely for them to get their mother in and out of the house for medical treatment and even socially and recreationally.
“We took her outside for Mother’s Day and she said: ‘How wonderful it is to be in the sun,’” Johnson said.
“We also receive a lot of letters,” Goldstein said. “Many of them are heartwarming.”
“I’m very grateful for those wonderful people coming into my home and giving me the help that I needed very badly,” one Levittown woman wrote.
“Without your help, sometimes I think I would go under,” an Old Bethpage resident noted.
An 89-year-old Massapequa resident and her 92-year-old husband appreciated the work on their home, including a wheelchair ramp, which has helped her get safely in and out of their home for a doctor’s appointment, and also the installation of pull bars, which have helped him take showers without assistance.
“They did a magnificent job,” she wrote. “I cannot say enough to express my gratitude.”
Sports
Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
Bethpage Pharmacy, in a real close nail biter, won their second in a row by edging out Zwanger Pesiri Radiology 10-9. Barco jumped out with two in the bottom half of the first on a sac fly by Kevin Moloney and an RBI hit by Terry McPartland, but Zwanger tied it up in the third.
Friday, 10 May 2013 00:00
Farmingdale Titans Football and Cheerleading league will hold registration on Friday, May 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. and again on Saturday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Allen Park, in Farmingdale. Children are guaranteed playing time regardless of experience or skill level.
Calendar
Beautification Volunteers - May 18
Farmers' Market - May 19
Carseat Check - May 24
Columns
Building Better Legislators
Written by Michael A. Miller, Millercolumn@optimum.net
Quietly Vindicated
Written by Mike Barry, MFBarry@optonline.net
Health Insurance Crisis Still Here
Written by Michael A. Miller, Millercolumn@optimum.net
