November 30, 2022 Islip

East Islip’s John F. Kennedy Welcomes 55 Veterans To Special Celebration

East Islip’s John F. Kennedy Elementary School celebrated Veterans Day on Nov. 10, welcoming 55 local veterans invited to the school as special guests

by students. The morning’s activities included a parade through the halls, breakfast courtesy of JFK’s PTA, and student performances of patriotic songs and poetry.

“It was so humbling to see so many veterans here to be celebrated at JFK,” Principal Deborah Smith said. “As the veterans and the students who invited

them paraded through the building and outside of JFK, we all felt truly grateful to them all, since they represent the American spirit, pride in

our country, and the values of freedom and liberty. It is with profound gratitude that we thanked them for their service and their dedication to keep America

safe. Their sacrifices, hard work and valiant efforts have preserved our way of life and we are eternally grateful.”

14-Year-Old Robert Levey II Is A Rising Star

Robert Levey II is a 14-year-old Long Islander, turning dreams into reality while gaining lots of attention. Robert recently won “Outstanding Vocalist” under 18 at “The 43rd Young Artist Awards” in LA and 2 weeks later was nominated for the same category at “The Josie Music Awards” which were held at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. You can find him in the recording studio when not acting or modeling. Robert, most recently, is turning heads from industry professionals with his incredible voice. Totaling millions of views across social media on his cover songs, mostly made up of old-time classics. He even has three covers, of which he also sings in Italian. Robert was lucky enough to connect with his mentor, Dominic Ferris, a Steinway artist based in England, UK. Robert also

quite often can be found raising money for charities or performing at one.

Robert is currently working on a film shooting here in New York and releasing all

his Holiday Songs. You can find him on all Social Media (under Robert Levey II) and his music is on YouTube and all streaming apps.

Tis The Season For Giving

On Monday, November 21, 2022, Noelle Lambert and The Bryn Elliott Team launched a Holiday Donation Drive, benefitting the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, an organization that strives to end homelessness on Long Island, and to alleviate the issues associated with homelessness and poverty for homeless and at risk persons in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

“I’ve always been passionate about helping others, but more specifically assisting the homeless is really important to me,” said Noelle, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “When you strip away all the excess and get down to the basics - the minimum that one should have in order to put their best foot forward every day - what remains is a home, along with food, and the like. There are countless people struggling and facing homelessness right now on Long Island and it just feels like the right thing to do to help them.”

The drive will run through December 19th and has five drop-off locations throughout Long Island. “This year the organization is desperately in need of non perishable food and personal care items,” said Bryn Elliott, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with The Bryn Elliott Team at Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “They’re also looking for clothing, socks and winter coats. We’re hopeful that this drive will make a difference by helping people who need it; especially during the toughest time of the year to be homeless.”

Every donation truly does make a difference. “We thank everyone in advance for their participation,” said Noelle. “We’re so appreciative of each business that has let us use their establishment as a drop-off location.” If you have any questions, please contact Noelle Lambert at 631.478.3819

About The Fish Store: The Fish Store is a family run business that opened its doors in 1978. Their market and restaurant in Bayport offers fresh food options and is beloved by many. They are the proud winners of Bethpage Best of Long Island’s #1 Best Fish Market on Long Island for 9 years in a row.

About USA Auto Body: USA Auto Body is a fullservice auto body repair shop in East Patchogue. Their trained professionals can complete your automobile restoration to manufacturerspecified standards and they are ready to make your car shine!

About Long Island Media Group: Long Island Media Group is a locally owned and operated media company that has been publishing since 1953. Today they publish the South Bay’s Neighbor, Neighbor Newspapers, Seasons Magazine, along with many other specialty products. They also offer digital marketing services.

About Douglas Elliman Real Estate: Douglas Elliman leads the New York real estate market by sales volume, and ranks as one of the nation’s largest independent residential real estate brokerages by the same measure. From sales, rentals and new development to mortgages and title insurance, their agents are relentless advocates for their clients.

Islip, The Way It Was“An Evening Of Reminiscing”

ISLIP, THE WAY IT WAS - “AN EVENING OF REMINISCING”

- On Thursday, Nov. 17th the Historical Society of Islip Hamlet hosted a program entitled: Islip, the Way It Was - “An Evening of Reminiscing.” Lifelong Islipians Nancy Libert and Kay Erwood discussed how a cluster of homes became the beautiful town it is today and all the businesses that have come and gone on Main St. plus Kay’s description of her father’s joys and tribulations owning the East Islip movie house. The program was enhanced by vintage photos from their own and the Society’s collection. Many audience members shared their own memories. In the photo (l-r) sitting on the bench are Nancy Libert and Kay Erwood surrounded by society board members. For more info on the society or to become a member: www.isliphamlethistory.org, 631-559-2915.

Forty-Six From East Islip High School Earn AP Honors

East Islip High School recently recognized 46 current students for earning AP Scholar designation for 2022 by the College Board, recognizing their excellence and hard work in college-level achievement in AP courses and exams.

The Advanced Placement Program recognizes several different award levels.

Twenty-one students –seniors Allison Benowitz,

Sarah Birner, Ryan Buchan, James Buonincontri, Andrew Damico, Gavin DeHaas, Christopher Dopfel, Jacob Franchi, Nina Gerace, Robert Graziano, Frank Irace, Aiden Kozak, Aiden Lenox, Furghub Malik, David Serino, Satish Singh Jennings, Keira Tantillo, Marisa Triolo, Kelly Waldron and Zachary Zhang, and junior Shannon O’Rourke – were named AP Scholars,

granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams.

Fourteen students –seniors Jack Baranek, Adelie Barbera, Stephen Coleman, Ryan Deveraux, Rhiannon Donahue, Eamonn Dreyer, Isabella Fantauzzi, Emily Garavito, Tristan Hearth, Sebastian Higgins, Ruelin Man-Martinez, Nicole Mazza, Keira McCaffery and Adan Villanueva – were

named AP Scholars with Honor, granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Eleven students – seniors Antonio Cottone, Rachel Furey, Chad Glick, Chase Grimm, Ryan Jacobsen, James Kelly, Abbey Lacy, James Nolan, Sarah Smalley, Nina Walsh and Nicholas

Wodicka – were named AP Scholars with Distinction, granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Additionally, Eamonn Dreyer, James Kelly, Abbey Lacy, Sarah Smalley, Adan Villanueva, Nina Walsh and Nicholas Wodicka earned AP Capstone Diplomas, and Jack

Baranek, Allison Benowitz, Sarah Birner, Ryan Buchan, Rhiannon Donahue, Jacob Franchi, Rachel Furey, Chad Glick, Sebastian Higgins, Ryan Jacobsen, Ruelin ManMartinez, Nicole Mazza, James Nolan and Satish Singh Jennings earned AP Seminar and Research Certificates.

PSEG Long Island’s Power To Feed Long Island Initiative Collects More Than 42,500 Meals To Help Local Families Struggling With Food Insecurity

PSEG Long Island recently announced that its 2022 Power to Feed Long Island initiative raised the equivalent of 42,616 meals – nearly 43% more than its 30,000meal goal – thanks to the generosity of Long Islanders. Joined by representatives from Island Harvest Food Bank and Stop & Shop, and by community volunteers who contributed to the initiative, the company made the announcement at Island Harvest’s headquarters in Melville.

“PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed Long Island initiative has brought out the best in our community and we are overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of Long

Islanders,” said David Lyons, interim president and COO of PSEG Long Island. “With their help, we were able to collect 12,616 more meals than the lofty goal of 30,000 we set in June. This is a powerful affirmation of what Long Island is all about. Helping each other is just what we do. I am so proud of our employees who supported these events with their time, money and efforts.”

Breaking down the results, 14,897 pounds of food was collected at the six sites, along with $13,367 collected online and in cash donations and gift cards. The breakdown in each area is as follows:

“PSEG Long Island’s extraordinary efforts in exceeding the expectations of its second annual Power to Feed Long Island initiative is extremely gratifying,” said Randi Shubin Dresner, president and CEO of Island Harvest Food Bank. “We are grateful for their ongoing commitment to helping improve the lives of our neighbors who face the daily challenge of not having enough to eat. We are also thankful to PSEG Long Island’s employee ambassadors, our partner Stop & Shop and the countless Long Islanders who donated to the PSEG Power to Feed Long Island food drive.”

Power to Feed Long Island was created by PSEG Long Island in 2021 to provide the public with venues where they live and work to donate food and personal care items to their neighbors. Food collection events were held at six Stop & Shop supermarkets in Massapequa, Riverhead, Smithtown, Carle Place, East Northport and West Babylon from July through September.

“Stop & Shop is proud to continue our ongoing support of the efforts of Island Harvest to address food insecurity across Long Island,” said Stefanie Shuman, community relations manager, Stop & Shop. “PSEG Long Island’s Power to Feed

Long Island enabled our caring customers to take part in food drives held at Stop & Shop stores across Nassau and Suffolk by helping their neighbors in need. This program underscores that when we work together we can make a difference in assisting those combatting hunger and food insecurity.”

Summer is a difficult time of year for food banks, pantries and programs because vacations cause a decrease in donations and collection drives are not top of mind. It is also a time when children out of school are not receiving daily free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch, which puts a heavier burden on their families. Compounding the issue, the pandemic and the increased inflation rate have further strained local food programs and emergency feeding programs.

Several dozen PSEG Long Island employees participated in the food drives as Power to Feed Long Island ambassadors. They agree that safely getting back out into the community to help their neighbors was a rewarding experience.

There is still time to make a donation online. For additional information on Power to Feed Long Island or to make an online monetary donation, visit www. psegliny.com/feedLI.

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a recent study found drinking tea might keep the cardiologist at bay.

The USDA reported that men and women who drank black tea for three weeks reduced their total and bad

Take Heart With Tea

cholesterol (LDL) levels by an average of 7.5 percent. Researchers concluded that drinking tea may reduce the

risk of coronary heart disease. Antioxidants called flavonoids, found in both green and black teas, are thought to

be potent weapons in the fight against heart disease.

That news may be especially important

for women, given that heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer combined including breast cancer.

Helping You Help Others

The Charity of the Month for November is Association for Mental Health and Wellness

We close out November, the month in which we honor America’s veterans, with some final information about our Charity of the Month, the Ronkonkomabased Association for Mental Health and Wellness (MHAW).

Among its wide range of mentalhealth-related services, MHAW offers many forms of assistance for veterans in Suffolk County. These offerings address affordable housing, medical and mental health assistance, peer support, and other services.

To allow readers to get a humanscale picture of the real-life ways that MHAW supports local veterans in need, here are the stories of “John” and “Mary.”

“John” had served our country for more than eight years as a Marine, including witnessing the aftermath of the Beirut barracks bombings in 1983 that had killed 241 American personnel and dozens of others.

He proceeded to face major difficulty adapting to post-service life, and used food to help him cope. John became significantly overweight and homeless, with a hotel as his residence for two years. It was nearly impossible to find a house that accommodated his needs until he connected with “Housing Our Homeless Heroes,” an initiative that helps veterans regain their sense of independence with supportive housing.

Happily, John is now living in a stabilized environment with dignity and respect.

As a second example, “Mary” had been discharged from the service last August, had no income, nowhere to go, and unfortunately was living in her car. She reached out to the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, run in collaboration with the Economic

Opportunity Council (EOC) of Suffolk, a Patchoguebased social services organization.

Mary worked with

the SSVF team to locate and obtain permanent housing. She also worked with a case manager and a health care navigator to apply for the VA’s service-connected disability program, where she was approved for 100-percent compensation. Mary was also connected to the Northport VA Medical Center, where she began receiving health care. In addition, Mary worked with an employment specialist who assisted her with her resume, job search, and interview prep.

As a result, Mary ultimately secured a full-time job. She has expressed her gratefulness to MHAW and to EOC of Suffolk for the critical assistance she received at the time when she needed it most.

After all they have given to America, our veterans deserve support from all of us here in Suffolk County and across the nation. With this in mind, we urge you to play a role in introducing local veterans in need to MHAW.

If you know such a veteran, have them contact Marcelle Leis, MHAW’s Director of Veteran Services, by calling 631-946-0147, or by emailing mleis@ mhaw.org.

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Holiday Harmonies From Festive Flutes!

The Long Island Flute Club is pleased to continue its tradition of presenting its annual Holiday Concerts. Once again the Flute Club will be presenting two concerts, one at each end of the Long Island community. Both concerts will feature a variety of seasonal classics that are guaranteed to put you in the spirit of the season. The sixteen-member flute ensemble will feature all members of the flute family from piccolo to bass flute. The ensemble, directed by Lauren Osnato will play a variety of festive classics such as “The Nutcracker Suite” and “Let it Snow” to “Sleigh Ride” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It is a holiday celebration for children of all ages!

The Suffolk County Concert will be Saturday, December 10, 2022, at 3:00 pm at the United

Methodist Church of Lake Ronkonkoma. This will be the thirteenth time the Long Island Flute Club will present a holiday concert at this charming church in Lake Ronkonkoma.

The picturesque church is located at 792 Hawkins Avenue, in Lake Grove. The concert is free of charge. In the spirit of the holiday season, they will be taking up a collection to donate to the ALS Association.

The Nassau County Concert will be Sunday, December 11, 2022, at 2:00 pm in the Red Ballroom of Old Westbury Gardens. The Gold Coast-era Mansion will be decorated for the holidays, and there will even be an appearance from Santa Claus himself. The concert is free with admission to Old Westbury Gardens.

The Holiday Flute Choir is made up of members of the Long Island Flute Club.

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The group is a mixture of players of all ages who play at an advanced level. They are professional players, teachers, and students who all love the flute and enjoy sharing music. The members of the 2022 Holiday Flute Choir are Lauren Osnato - Conductor of Massapequa, Amanda Aweh of Brooklyn, Michele Aweh of Glen Cove, Nicole Davidson of Massapequa, Alana De Stefano of Bellerose, Maria Di Natale Scotto of Port Washington, Amy Kempton of Glen Head, Charlotte Loake of Levittown, Francesca Piazza of Islip, Nicole Rode of Deer Park, Debra Schild of Saint James, Jennie Schwinn of Holbrook, Barbara Sherwin of Farmingdale, Concetta Stevens of East Islip, Leslie Strait of East Northport, Edna Susman of Kings Park and Sandra Vigliotti of Westbury.

Northwell Direct, NYPD Announce Finest Care: Free, Confidential Counseling For Police Officers

Northwell Direct and The New York Police Department recently announced a new collaboration that will connect the 36,000 uniformed Members of Service with free, confidential counseling and other mental health services. Finest Care enables officers to call a confidential Northwell Health behavioral health access and navigation center to be assessed and linked to Northwell’s expansive network of psychologists and psychiatrists through the Northwell Direct provider network*. Northwell Direct is owned by Northwell Health, New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer.

“Northwell Direct is honored to be able to provide New York’s Finest with the highest-quality mental health services available,” said Nick Stefanizzi, CEO of Northwell Direct. “By providing a confidential and easy-to-use navigation service, we’re breaking down barriers and changing how behavioral health is accessed. With Finest Care, the dedicated public servants of the NYPD will be immediately connected to the help they need by making a simple phone call.”

The 24/7/365-day-a-week call center will be available for all uniformed Members of Service and all calls will be received and triaged by trained nurses and master-

level therapists. If a Member of Service is experiencing an acute crisis, the nurse or therapist will be able to arrange for an appropriate and immediate medical response, including the dispatch of an ambulance or access to emergency telepsychiatry services.

“We are excited to be able to increase police officer access to Northwell’s stellar behavioral therapy teams, and wide choice of venues, helping us provide Finest Care, everywhere,” said Eli Kleinman, MD, MPH, NYPD chief surgeon.

“Finest Care through Northwell Direct is an excellent resource for NYPD, said Lokesh Reddy, MD, NYPD deputy chief surgeon. “Our police officers will have more access to exceptional mental health services.”

“To best serve our women and men police officers, the NYPD is dedicated to ensuring the continuity of all aspects of our proactive and comprehensive wellness program,” said Dr. Adria Adams, the director of the NYPD’s Health and Wellness Section. “And our collaboration with Northwell Direct is integral to that important work. It ensures there is no interruption in accessing immediate mental health care, outside of the department, on an ongoing basis, in a comprehensive manner, and with a health partner that offers a large

footprint of service facilities throughout our region. We know this continuation of the Finest Care program will meet our officers’ needs with the thoughtfulness and confidentiality they require.”

Appointments with a psychologist or psychiatrist for comprehensive evaluation and counseling will be available within 48 hours of the call for urgent issues. In-person or virtual visits will be offered to accommodate personal preference and schedule.

“Mental health disorders are among the most common illnesses in our communities, and they can have a severe impact on functioning and quality of life,” said Manish Sapra, MD, executive director of the behavioral health service line at Northwell Health. “Police officers face unique stressors not seen in the general public. We are confident this program will help reduce stigma associated with seeking and accepting help.”

Members of Service can be seen at Northwell Health facilities located in: Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Manhasset, Bay Shore, Port Jefferson, Glen Oaks, and Ossining.

*Northwell Direct’s provider network is provided through Northwell Direct Administrative Services Organization, Inc.