North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman, Town Clerk Michelle Schimel, and Councilmen Wayne Wink and Fred Pollack joined a crowd of over 250 community leaders on March 23 at Clinton G. Martin Park in New Hyde Park to recognize the 2005 inductees in the May W. Newburger Women's Roll of Honor.

"With the establishment of the Women's Roll of Honor in 1994, May Newburger came up with a wonderful way to honor the women of North Hempstead," said Supervisor Kaiman. Added Town Clerk Michelle Schimel, chairperson of the event, "The extraordinary women we honored today have enriched our communities with their hard work and commitment."

"This year, the Women's Roll of Honor Breakfast was a celebration of history and community activism - wonderfully exemplified by the Great Neck North High School Junior Players as they took on the roles of John and Abigail Adams in a short performance at the breakfast," said Ms. Schimel. This new addition to the program was created by Ms. Schimel who chose excerpts from the Adams' correspondence as engaging evidence of Abigail's support of women's rights and John's wry sense of humor against the background of 18th century America in the midst of the Revolutionary War. "Their presentation was great and it was a wonderful addition to the program," added Ms. Schimel.

Carol Ascrizzi, Dr. Marilyn Klainberg, and Deborah Klein are three of the 14 honorees of 2005.

Carol Ascrizzi has been an active and dedicated member of her community for over 20 years. A member and past president of The Friends of the Manhasset Library, Ms. Ascrizzi was appointed to the Manhasset Library Board in 1997. Throughout the last eight years she has been a trustee, vice-president and president of the board. It was largely through her vision and leadership that the dream of a new library for Manhasset was finally realized with a successful referendum in 2003. Ms. Ascrizzi has played an equally important role in the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York. A former member of the development staff, she has contributed in a variety of ways over the years, and currently volunteers her time as a grant writer. It is important to note that Ms. Ascrizzi accomplished all this and beat cancer at the same time.

Years ago, Marilyn Klainberg was diagnosed with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, a disease with no cure - except a liver transplant. Instead of hiding in bed, she read and spoke about the disease, created a web site for those suffering from the disease and wrote an article for the American Liver Foundation. Dr. Klainberg is the assistant dean of nursing at Adelphi University specializing in Community Health. She is Assistant Program Director at the Manhasset Summer Center, a newspaper columnist for the Manhasset Press on articles about parenting and community health called "Parent Network," teaches child care courses for baby sitters, and lectures at the library and school systems throughout North Hempstead about substance abuse. She is also a Girl Scout leader. Dr. Klainberg has translated her many skills to enhance the wellness of our community.

Deborah Klein has always dedicated herself to her community. As co-founder and chair of the Parents Resource Center in Manhasset, she has developed new ways of helping children reach their potential by working with parents and teachers. She has been active in both the Girls Scout and Cub Scouts, and is a founding member of CASA - Community Against Substance Abuse, working aggressively to help those overcome by substance abuse. Presently, Ms. Klein is Vice-Chair of the Great Neck Manhasset Community Child Care Partnership, where she initiated the Manhasset/Great Neck preschool garden and showcase, and she serves as a trustee of the Manhasset Board of Education.

"Carol, Marilyn, and Deborah are some of the extraordinary women of Manhasset who quietly give of themselves every day through their involvement with a large number of organizations providing a wide range of services," added Councilman Wink.