Some years back, when the West Hempstead Civic Association (WHCA) was in its infancy, Vin Muscarella, then our state assemblyman, told a crowd of nearly 300 gathered for a town meeting at the high school, "There is no greater service to community than public service."

To this day, those words (and a burrito I choked down in 1986) have stuck with me. "No greater service to community..."

The WHCA is now in the process of mailing invoices to every West Hempstead household and business, looking to build a strong membership base for 2004-05. [If you do not receive an invoice in the mail, you can find a downloadable membership application online at the WHCA's interactive website, www.westhempsteadcivic.org.]

I encourage every West Hempsteader to join and support their civic association, to make a commitment to our community, and to stay or become involved in that which makes our town all that it is and, with your participation, all that it could be.

There is, after all, no greater public service than service to one's community. Sign up. Join in. Get involved!

Seth Bykofsky

West Hempstead

(The writer is a past president of the West Hempstead Civic Association and currently serves as chair of the WHCA's Zoning Committee.)