Colleen Riordan, owner of the Silver Scissors salon located on Wantagh Avenue just north of Park Avenue in the Wantagh business district has joined John Carpenter's campaign to collect school supplies for grade school children and to have a drop box in her popular upscale salon. The program has been endorsed by the Kiwanis Club of Wantagh, says Georgiana Sena, club president.

When John Carpenter, actor/filmmaker was told by several of his friends teach young children, ages 3, 4 and 5 that their school closet is close to empty most of the time, he was shocked. And, when he heard that many of the teachers in preschools, charter and public schools shop garage sales and dollar stores to purchase items with their own money for their classes, he said that it's absurd especially with the high rate of taxes we pay on Long Island.

Although John has a busy schedule speaking at support groups meetings at hospitals and rehab centers and showing one of more than 2,000 films from his vintage collection of feature films at public libraries, he still wanted to do something. John Carpenter said that if Bon Jovi can take the time to help build low income housing in Brooklyn I can do the same, and help to build our kids' future.

John Carpenter has recently finished two award-winning films, a 16-minute documentary, Smelling Like a Rose, narrated by Joe Franklin, television and WOR radio legend and Late To Lunch, a silent film comedy, a homage that recreates the era and style of comedians such as Charlie Chaplin. His Smelling Like a Rose film is a true story about when he was run down by a speeding car that caused him to be in a coma for two months with head and leg injuries. At that time he was starring in the off-Broadway musical The Bard. Carpenter is currently working on a story line and script, and busy screening investors for a new film his Barjon Motion Picture Comedy Endeavors company plans to shoot locally in conjunction with the Long Island Film/TV Commission.

The school supply campaign dubbed "John Carpenter's Building Our Children's Future" got started Jan. 1 and is spreading like wild fire. Drop boxes are located in the Minuteman Press on Park Boulevard and the Great Exposures photo store next to the IHOP on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa Park, the Sanremo Bakery on Broadway in North Massapequa, the Janovic Paint store on Merrick Road and the Allstate Insurance office on Sunrise Highway in Seaford, Silver Scissors hair salon and Mid-Island Medical Supply on Wantagh Avenue in Wantagh, a drop box at the East Meadow Public Library is pending.

Carpenter asks that when shopping, residents should pick up a few items for the kids and bring them to one of the drop boxes. Glue sticks, color packs of construction paper, crayons, pencils, etc. Gently used children's books and educational games are also needed.