Full Gallop Effort Aids Disabled

The week before, they were up to their knees in bicycles. On May 30, still sunburned from "Build-A-Bike '98," which provided needy kids with bicycles, members of Syosset Youth Services (SYS) got together for an event that involved much greater "horsepower."

At this year's Empire Games for the Physically-Challenged, SYS provided field support for athletes in the equestrian event held at Mitchel Field in Uniondale. Volunteers aided at various points along the obstacle course, helping riders perform a number of skills which included Beanie Baby dunking and apple-balancing. SYS also helped present awards for the event, which involved athletes ranging from 7 to 13 years old, many of them severely disabled by Cerebral Palsy and spinal diseases.

For SYS, a community service program of the Syosset Counseling Center, this was, perhaps, the last official project of the season. The group's "Recycle-A-Cycle" program will hopefully continue through the summer if work and storage space becomes available in the next few weeks.