Holy Family School A Home Away From Home

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Holy Family School A Home Away From Home

Written by John O’Brien Friday, 30 November 2012 00:00

Red Cross emergency specialists, volunteers welcomed at Hicksville school

Recently, you had to have seen all the trucks from power companies and the long lines at gas stations, but you may not have noticed some very special heroes in Hicksville.

Since Thursday, Nov. 1, Holy Family School was used as home for Red Cross volunteers, who came from places like Texas, Louisiana, and Michigan, the Carolinas, Florida and even as far as Washington and Alaska. The call for the Red Cross Emergency Specialists went out nationwide and they responded. Often, they are the first ones reporting to disasters. They help local authorities and then set up their own facilities.

President of American Red Cross Humanitarian Services Jerry DeFrancisco, John Miller, CEO of American Red Cross on Long Island, and Craig Cooper, national spokesperson, discuss disaster relief efforts in Hicksville earlier this month. Photos courtesy John O’Brien, the Red Cross and Valerie Kubanick But before arriving here on Long Island to help your neighborhood, this amazing organization needed room to set up a home base. Holy Family in Hicksville was a large enough area to house some of the hundreds of volunteers being requested along with their trucks, cars and equipment.

The Red Cross is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization, providing emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. From their home base at Holy Family, they received their daily assignments to go out into the neighborhood and help with the relief efforts here on Long Island.

As the Holy Family School strives to teach these very same values to their students, housing the Red Cross volunteer workers was a perfect match. It was a place for the workers to regroup and rest up then get their assignments for the next day.

Long Island Red Cross volunteer Sue O’Connell, of Hershey PA, lends an ear to Angela Morgan, of Lindenhurst. “I must say an enormous thank you to the many of you who have reached out in support these past weeks. I am keenly aware, as I join many of you in dealing with issues of no heat, no lights, no gas and so on, and yet, you have taken the time to reach out to me and more importantly you have reached out to the amazing Red Cross volunteers using our gym as their Long Island home,” Holy Family School Principal Maryalice Doherty said in a statement.

The Holy Family Church, throughout this emergency, remained open until 9 p.m. The first night they offered hot drinks during the blackout. Then as the true scope of this emergency was realized, on the second night they operated as a charging station for cell phones, a warming center for those without utilities and showed movies for families. Volunteers started serving an evening meal at one point as well.

Holy Family students and parents, many still without heat, remembered those less fortunate than themselves and offered to help. The small, local parish school has proven to be an invaluable asset, not only to the local community but to all in all the surrounding areas like Long Beach, Oceanside, Island Park, Coney Island and any who needed the Red Cross to help immediately.

“I have never been so humbled nor have I ever felt so proud to be part of this great Holy Family School family,” Holy Family School Principal Maryalice Doherty said.

News

Hicksville Native Wins FIT Award

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

Hicksville native Jae Lee recently rose to the top of his senior class at New York Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), winning the Critic Award for sportswear. But fashion wasn’t the path that Lee originally chose.

In high school, Lee excelled in art classes and thought that he wanted to go to college and major in fine arts. However, he said, it was while watching an episode of “Project Runway” that he had a revelation. “All of a sudden I was thinking that it was something I could/should do and that’s what kind of led to it,” he said. He made up his mind that he was going to apply to fashion school and enlisted the help of one of his art teachers in school to help him. “We really scrambled and put together this presentation in about two weeks, where other people, I’m sure, worked on theirs for months,” he said. Lee said that when he went to present his portfolio, he didn’t think the meeting went well at all. “Everyone was really well prepared,” he said. But, he admitted, it must have gone better than he thought, because he was accepted to FIT.

WWII Armor Museum Opens

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

In the face of cancelled air shows and the downgrading of NYC’s Fleet Week, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano announced on May 9, that American soldiers will be forever honored on Long Island through the creation of the Museum of American Armor to be built at Old Bethpage Village Restoration thanks, in part, to a million dollar gift from Lawrence Kadish.

“We are watching powerful tributes to our American military reduced or eliminated across the nation and its just plain wrong,” stated County Executive Mangano. “Fortunately, the Memorial Day weekend air show at Jones Beach will be held regardless of the loss of the Thunderbirds, but Fleet Week in New York City will be greatly diminished and across the country air shows are being cancelled weekly. Nassau County is moving in another direction. An armor museum that honors every American soldier will be created on county property this year which will not only pay tribute to those who have defended our nation but will also strengthen the county’s tourism and destination industry and provide a new source of revenue.”

Sports

For The Love Of Tennis

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

Hicksville residents honored by tennis association

The U.S. Tennis Association Long Island Region has recognized several Hicksville residents for their tennis playing or volunteering achievements. The group was honored at the USTA Long Island Region’s 23rd Annual Awards Dinner, which recognizes superior efforts both on and off the tennis court.

Terry Fontana received the Vitas Gerulaitis for the Love of Tennis award. She has been a longtime fixture in the Hicksville tennis community and is the driving force behind the Hicksville Community Tennis Association (CTA), which, since 1995, has been promoting the development of tennis as a means of healthy recreation and physical fitness and to create a community resource for physical activity throughout the area.

Lady Comets Honor Departing Seniors

Thursday, 23 May 2013 00:00

It was a cold season for softball this year, colder than usual. Anyone who knows the sport recognizes that the weather can be changeable, but this softball season was fraught with snow, pouring rain, cancelled games, frigid temperatures, and blowing winds that would cause any team to crave the warmth of indoors.

That wasn’t the case with the Hicksville High School Lady Comets Varsity Softball team. They played through it all like champions, and endured the rough weather like superstars.