After years of discussion about what would happen with the empty lot on the corner of Wantagh Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike, Target Greatland, which now occupies the land will be opening at 8 a.m. this Sunday.

In anticipation of the opening, Target held a VIG (Very Important Guests) Appreciation Night on Tuesday. The event included an official ribbon-cutting by the Levittown Chamber of Commerce. As part of the celebration, the company handed out grants to schools and nonprofit organizations in the surrounding communities. Maria Regina Catholic School in Seaford, YES Community Center in Massapequa and United Way were all recipients of $1,000 grants from Target. The largest grant given was for $5,000, which went to Island Trees High School

The grants are part of a commitment to support the communities that the store serves. The company returns 5 percent of its federally taxable income to organizations in its communities. Target's grant making supports projects that promote the arts, education and family violence prevention. As part of this commitment to the community, Target has a program called Take Charge of Education. According to Kristin Knach, a Target spokesperson, there are several programs that fall within the Take Charge of Education Program. One such program is school fund raising. "That is where guests who are Target guestcard holders can designate a school of their choice to receive 1 percent of their guestcard purchases. The money goes directly to the schools and they can use the funds for whatever they like," stated Knach. Checks are sent to schools that have registered for this program twice a year.

Also within the Take Charge of Education program, there is a scholarship program for students and teachers. The student scholarships are called All-Around Scholarships and there are two given out through each store, according to Knach. The student scholarships are for $1,000 apiece and go to college-bound or undergraduate students who have shown a dedication to volunteerism and community service. There are two teacher scholarships per store given out as well and these are each for $500. Those scholarships go to teachers who wish to continue their education. The applications for these scholarships will br available in the Target stores or on their website (www.target.com) in May. The deadline for the applications is Nov. 1 and Target is currently in the process of awarding this year's scholarships.

A local demonstration of the company's dedication to education is the $5,000 grant which was awarded to Island Trees High School. According to the Store Team Leader, Bill Hollwedel, who is a Levittown resident himself, this grant came about when Island Trees High School approached him and explained that they were interested in going to a National Science Competition but did not have the $5,000 entry fee that was required. Hollwedel explained that he took this request to the corporate office and they were able to provide these funds for the students to attend this competition.

Hollwedel, who has lived in the community for nearly 12 years, said that he feels this store will be a real benefit to the community on many levels. He noted that besides grants provided to schools and community organizations, the company employs 300 people, some of whom are from the local community, and also encourages volunteerism from their employees. "We very much like to have our people volunteer," said Hollwedel. "We support organizations that they volunteer in ...We encourage and support our team members if they're in a group, if our team members are active in a charity then we try to get more team members to be active in that charity." He noted that this is all part of the company's "team" mentality, explaining that the employees all work together and are considered a team.

"We're very happy to be here. We like Levittown. We think we'll do good and that we'll help out the community," concluded Hollwedel.