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Friday, August 14, 2026
2Vol. 3, No. 33
THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR
FPFD receives $250K for new fire truck
Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) joined Floral Park Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald (right) and Floral Park Fire Department Chief Eric O’Connor to announce the purchase of a new fire truck using $250,000 in grant funds.
Teens step up for local seniors BY RIKKI MASSAND
A fairly new local nonprofit organization, HANK (Hire a Neighborhood Kid) Services for Seniors, was founded a year ago with the mission of connecting teens and young adults with seniors across Floral Park, Stewart Manor and Garden City. To date, 40 young people are actively working and making life a little easier for senior citizens “in the neighborhood.” Recent summertime activ-
ities and life lessons have been highlighted prominently, including on the 6 o’clock CBS 2 New York news on Friday, August 7th, with reporter Carolyn Gusoff, and through social media posts about the good work students ages 14 and up have been doing in the community. The signature program run by HANK Services is called “Chores & Chat” – matching teens with local seniors in need of their
help. Between its inception in July 2025 and the second half of July 2026, 100 “matches” were made, and the kids participating through HANK worked more than 500 hours; each is paid at a rate of $20 per hour. Several volunteer hours, applicable for high school community service credit, have been contributed as well. Founder and Board President Jeanine Springer See page 4
The Floral Park Villager Published every Friday by Litmor Publishing Corp. Telephone 516-931-0012 Postmaster: Send Address Change to: The Floral Park Villager, 821 Franklin Ave., Suite 208 Garden City, N.Y. 11530 • Meg Norris, Publisher
Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04) joined Floral Park Mayor Kevin Fitzgerald and Floral Park Fire Department Chief Eric O’Connor as well as members of the Floral Park Fire Department to announce $250,000 in new federal Community Project Funding (CPF) she secured through the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations process. The funding will help purchase a new hook-and-ladder fire truck for the Floral Park Fire Department, enhancing the department's emergency response capabilities and improving public safety for residents throughout the village. “I am proud to have secured $250,000 in new federal funding to help Floral Park purchase a much-needed hook-and-ladder truck,” said Rep. Gillen. “This funding is a direct investment in the safety of Floral Park residents and will ensure the Fire Department has the equipment it needs to meet the community’s growing needs. I look forward to seeing the new truck in service, helping keep residents and firefighters safe for years to come.” “Thank you, Congresswoman Gillen, for getting this important funding for us, for Floral Park and our fire department,” said Mayor Fitzgerald. “These trucks do cost a lot of money. This one in particular is over $2.7 million, and every dime that we can get that doesn't cost the taxpayers here in Floral Park is important to us. Thank you once again for doing that.” “This is an investment in the safety of my members and the safety of this community as a whole” said Chief O’Connor. “So on behalf of the chiefs, officers, and members
of Floral Park Fire Department, I want to thank Mayor Fitzgerald and the Village Board and Congresswoman Laura Gillen. This will help us out tremendously.” The Village of Floral Park currently relies on an aging, used truck that frequently requires repairs. Purchasing a new truck will replace the existing 30-year-old vehicle, which no longer meets current operational and safety standards. As the Village has grown, the increasing number of multi-story residential buildings has created a greater need for a hook-and-ladder truck to respond effectively to emergencies. In addition to serving Floral Park's 16,000 residents, the Floral Park Fire Department provides mutual aid assistance to communities with a combined population of more than 130,000 residents. The department is also the only fire department in the Four Villages area equipped with a hook-andladder truck, making it a critical regional resource for emergency response. This project received calls for support from a bipartisan group of leaders, including State Senator Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Nassau County Legislator Scott Strauss and Floral Park Village Trustee Jennifer Stewart. The funding for Floral Park is part of more than $13 million in Community Project Funding that Rep. Gillen secured for Nassau County to invest in community infrastructure, enhance public safety, and improve the quality of life for residents across the district.
Young leaders honored for service PAGE 7 Sewanhaka Summer Enrichment PAGE 10