Dr. Rebecca A. Tolson Neuhedel of Massapequa, is one of eight winners of the sixth annual Town of Oyster Bay "Women of Distinction" awards. Neuhedel, a Distinguished Woman Humanitarian for 2004, founded the Luke Neuhedel Foundation following the death of her young son, Luke, from a rare form of cancer.

"I am honored to accept this award in hope this recognition helps further public awareness of the plight of children with cancer," Neuhedel said. "I am especially pleased this award came about through a nomination from Gina Ryan's Cub Scout troop at Maria Regina. Their nomination shows they took to heart the message of childhood cancer we discussed."

Before her four children, Guenevere, George, MorganFaye, and Luke, were born, Neuhedel taught college and was a librarian. While having her children, she earned a doctorate from St. John's in English Literature and intended to return to teaching until her fourth child, Luke, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a very rare children's liver cancer, in 1999. Luke miraculously lived with his cancer for 32 months. After he died, Neuhedel's family established the Luke Neuhedel Foundation.

The foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with cancer through education, research, and aid to families in need. The organization seeks to give children with cancer, especially those whose age disqualifies them from other wish-type organizations, experiences that will improve their quality of life. The foundation also supports research and gives assistance to families and children undergoing experimental treatments to give the children, especially those with rare liver cancers, better odds than Luke had for survival.

The foundation sponsors regular fund-raising events, an Adopt-A-Child with Cancer for the Holidays Program, a new toy drive with toys distributed to pediatric oncology patients at selected hospitals, and assists families with the extra expenses of living at a hospital and treating a child with cancer.

"I am privileged to help children fight cancer, while being their voice for aid, research, and finally a cure," Neuhedel said. "I am blessed to be Luke's mother and to have been entrusted with his special care.

"The 'Women of Distinction' awards committee has selected eight exceptional women as this year's 'Women of Distinction'," Venditto said. "Once again, I commend the awards committee for doing an excellent job, making the difficult choices among so many fine nominees."

Venditto and the town board will honor Neuhedel and this year's other designees at the March 23 town board meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.

"My fellow town board members and I have invited the designees and their families to join us in publicly recognizing the town's 'Women of Distinction'," Venditto said. "Each recipient will be presented with a town citation and a special pin designed to commemorate the occasion."

The other seven "Women of Distinction" awards for 2004 are:

* Deborah Balke-Lindner of Hicksville, Distinguished Woman in the Arts, is the founder and co-owner of Colorfully Yours, Inc., a company that produces customized educational coloring books that promote fire safety. By seeing buildings and trucks located right in their own communities, the children can readily identify with the firefighters and the important rules of fire safety. She has also assisted fire departments with photography, writing and illustrations for invitations, installation dinner programs, pamphlets and custom T-shirts. She has accomplished all this while battling systemic lupus and fibromyalgia.

* Phyllis Marino of Syosset, Distinguished Woman in Business, is a vice president and senior retail officer for Commerce Bank, responsible for managing a unique retail operation for Commerce Bank on Long Island. She has already opened 14 new stores, including four in the Town of Oyster Bay, since June 2002 and hopes to have 70 on Long Island by 2007, including two more in the Town of Oyster Bay. She has arranged for Commerce Bank to be a sponsor for the Town's "Music Under the Stars" summer concert series. She serves as a board member of the Long Island Center for Business and Professional Women.

* Carol Meschkow of Plainview, Distinguished Woman in Community & Civic Affairs, is the founder and president of the Concerned Citizens of Plainview-Old Bethpage Community, Inc., which focuses on educational and awareness activities. She has served on two town-wide advisory committees and the HUB Advisory Committee and has taken a leading role in many community issues. She is also very active in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District and is currently president of the middle school PTA. She is a founding officer of the Plainview Chinese School PTA, a member of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce and the Plainview-Old Bethpage Friends of the Library and holds a seat on the Coordinating Council for Plainview-Old Bethpage Cares.

* Amy Stein of Jericho, this year's Distinguished Woman in Education, left a successful career as a practicing lawyer to become a legal writing instructor at Hofstra University School of Law, where she teaches legal writing, legal research and appellate advocacy to first and second year law students. In her three years teaching at Hofstra, she has had more students selected to Hofstra's law reviews than any other legal writing instructor. She is an advisor to one of Hofstra's law reviews and assists students with their law review articles and in finding employment. Additionally, she is vice president of education for her local Hadassah chapter and teaches a Law Day program for grades 2 through 5 at a local elementary school. In 2000, she was recognized by Long Island Business News as one of its 40 Under 40 award recipients.

* Dorothy Blumstein of Woodbury is a Distinguished Woman in Government, the Town of Oyster Bay's Cultural and Performing Arts (CAPA) Division of the Department of Community and Youth Services for more than 20 years. She helped develop and expand many programs such as Rotational Art, the Distinguished Artists Concerts series and the Children's Music-Go-Round. She also served as executive director of the Town of Oyster Bay Arts Council, Inc., and sits on the Selection Board of the New York State Council on the Arts' Decentralization Program.

* Saundra M. Gumerove of Jericho, the 2004 Distinguished Woman in Health Services, has been a member of the Association for the Help of Retarded Children's Board of Directors since 1993 and recently joined the Board of Directors of the Marcus Avenue Early Childhood Developmental Program, Inc. As an attorney, she has done extensive pro bono work in connection with the rights of the developmentally disabled, representing parents and children in Individualized Education Plan (IEP meetings) and impartial hearings. In 2002, she was elected delegate to the Board of Governors of NYSARC, Inc. (formerly the New York State Association for Retarded Children), the largest not-for-profit agency in the nation serving persons with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities.

* Eileen Gentilcore of Syosset, Distinguished Woman Volunteer for 2004, has a long record of volunteerism and community service. The former principal of the South Grove Elementary School has been an active member of the Syosset/Woodbury Rotary since 1988. She served as president for two years and, in 1997, was elected president of the Rotary International "Gift of Life" program, which helps needy children throughout the world who require corrective heart surgery. Many times, she has met the children at the airport, escorted them to St. Francis Hospital, visited them during their stay and then escorted them back to the airport for their trip home. She has gone on medical missions to Russia, Honduras and China. In 1998, while she was district governor, she helped organize an aid drive that shipped 20 tons of food, water and clothing to victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras. She has served on the Rotary International Task Force for "Children at Risk," the Task Force for Avoidable Blindness to meet the needs of the blind and visually handicapped and the Group Study Exchange Program, a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women between the ages of 25 and 40 and in the early years of their professional lives.

"The recipients of the 2004 'Women of Distinction" awards constitute the sixth group of designees in what is a fine and lasting tradition in the Town of Oyster Bay," Venditto said. "The honorees have dedicated themselves to service and achievement, and their remarkable accomplishments are an inspiration to us all. They serve as excellent role models for our young women throughout the town and are shining examples of the outstanding citizenship that has made the Town of Oyster Bay such a special place to live and raise a family. I am honored to recognize these fine individuals as the town's 2004 'Women of Distinction'."