On an icy cold January morning, there was a bad fire next door to my office and what I observed was amazing tenderness on the part of building co-workers. As the executive director of the Long Island Volunteer Center, I am located in space donated through the largesseof dear friends and fellow Garden City residents Mary Ellen and Mike Cirrito. The building they own is a circa 1860s house converted to law offices at the corner of Hilton Avenue and Jackson Street in Hempstead. This very unique work setting (with fireplaces and original moldings) became a short-term safe haven for neighbors escaping an apartment fire on Terrace Avenue adjacent to the property on Thursday, Jan. 20.

The law office receptionist called me at home at about 9 a.m. to say there were at least 20 people in our building seeking refuge and was I aware of any organization that could help them. She said one woman had come down the fire escape carrying her 16-month-old child. The office personnel witnessing the exodus of people shivering in 12 degree weather immediately invited them inside to get warm while they waited out the emergency process. By the time I arrived at the building, the attorneys and secretaries (in their own cars) were already shuttling the displaced residents to a temporary shelter set up at the Salvation Army, holding babies while mothers attended to other children, showing people where the restrooms were or getting them something to drink, translating information for those who didn't speak English and providing good company to those in need during a very stressful situation.

I was so impressed by this heartwarming display of compassion by people who showed up for work just like they do everyday - only that morning brought a whole new set of circumstances causing them to rise to the occasion. Newsday reported on Jan. 21 that 28 people made homeless as a result of the fire were being housed in temporary facilities organized by the American Red Cross Nassau and that EMTs and local hospitals had treated two firemen and a few residents. What didn't make the news were the small, yet incredible acts of human kindness by people I always respected and now revere for their depth of character. It's how we respond neighbor to neighbor that makes all the difference in building community. Volunteers truly are society's glue.

Diana O'Neill