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Sharing smiles and supplies at park giveaway profit that hosts community events, to be donated to other organizations. Savitre Ferdinand and her Students of all ages from Elmont, Valley Stream and daughter, Selene, who founded neighboring communities were Meera Empowerment five years given free backpacks and ago, when Selene was just 8, said that this was school supplies at their fourth year of an annual giveaway collaboration with a t E l m o n t Ro a d Solages and the Park, on Aug. 30. other community The event, orgaorganizers for the nized and spong ive aw ay. M e e r a sored by Nassau Empowerment is a County Legislator nonprofit that Car rié Solages, empowers the youth brought together in Elmont and surseveral community rounding communiorganizations ties through events including Meera and fundraisers. Empowerment, the “I was really G i f t o f G iv i n g happy with it,” SeleFoundation, Unine, who’s now 12, versal Interactions, said. “It was a great the Elmont Culturtur nout, and it al Center and Val- FENol laRock made me feel really ley Stream’s Green Co-founder, Acres Mall, all of Universal Interactions happy to see everyone with smiles on which donated suptheir faces as they plies. Over 400 backpacks were got their bookbags.” Savitre explained that Meera donated, as well as supplies including pencils, erasers and Empowerment and the other notebooks. After the two-hour organizations previously hostevent concluded, about 50 back- ed back-to-school giveaways packs were left over and hand- separately before joining forced to organizers from Universal es, pooling resources and hostInteractions, an Elmont nonContinued on page 23
By RENEE DeloRENZo
rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Holden Leeds/Herald
Franklin Square fire department remembers 9/11 The Franklin Square and Munson Fire Department, joined by community members and local politicians, hosted its annual Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony at the Rath Park memorial on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. Story, more photos, page 10.
Annual Hearts in Action gala battles hunger and poverty By RENEE DeloRENZo rdelorenzo@liherald.com
Giving Back to Community Corp., an Elmontbased nonprofit aimed at addressing food insecurity across Long Island and Nigeria, is hosting its fourth annual gala, Hearts in Action, to raise funds for upcoming food distributions. The afternoon event, set for Sept. 27 from noon to 5 p.m. at Leonard’s Palazzo in Great Neck, will feature raffles, giveaways, music, dancing, guest speakers, dinner, wine and more. Tickets are $120, with additional donations strongly encouraged. The nonprofit’s founder, Emilian Emeagwali, who raised over $16,000 at last year’s gala, said her goal this year is much higher: $50,000.
In addition to funding the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas food distributions in Elmont and Onitsha, Nigeria — the village where she founded Giving Back to Community — Emeagwali is looking for a permanent space to host community events. “We don’t have funds to pay the rent,” Emeagwali said. “If we can get enough funds to secure a space, no matter how small, we can store nonperishable foods and start doing distributions on a regular basis.” Her goal is to host weekly distributions for those who consistently struggle to afford groceries in the current economy. For now, Emeagwali hosts distributions out of her Elmont physical therapy office, which she Continued on page 11
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etting older now, I realize why it’s such a point to make sure kids are prepared for school. I don’t want any kids left out.