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Pride on the Mile makes bold return to village By MASHIAT AZMI Intern
Holden Leeds /Herald
Emily Stekardis, left, Austin Lyons, and Daniel Bua showed their support for the event at the JVC Broadcasting party, provided by Long Island’s 105.3 radio station.
Pride on the Mile, Freeport’s first LGBTQ+ organization, came back to the Nautical Mile for the third consecutive year in celebration of Pride Month on Saturday. The aim of The LGBTQ+-organized event, which was held outside at Taco Tuesdays on Woodcleft Avenue, was to spread acceptance and co-existence for the local LGBTQ+ communities, while celebrating Pride Month. The Freeport event also commemorates the 56th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, a series of violent confrontations between police and gay rights activists. This gave rise to the international gay rights movement and resulted in year-round programming with educational components, including National Coming Out Day and the Trans Day of Visibility, among others. The Freeport event began with a few encouraging words from elected officials, followed by a ribbon-cutContInuED on pAgE 12
Rotary club installs new officers dedicated to service By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
The Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club was scheduled to once again install new leadership at its annual Installation Dinner on Thursday, after the Herald went to press, at Mangia Bene, in Rockville Centre. The club is the local element of the greater Rotary International organization, one of the largest service-based organizations in the world, with 46,000 clubs worldwide and boasting a membership of approximately 1.4 million The “service above self ” guiding principal of Rotary
encourages members to take on projects for the benefit of those in need both near and far, with Rotarians often donating their time, and even their own resources, to help others. Each year, the Freeport-Merrick club installs four new officers, as the current leadership either steps down or transitions to new positions. Jordan Pecora is stepping down as the club’s president, to be succeeded by Comfort Itoka, who previously served as club secretary. “It (has) been a honor and privilege as president for the Freeport Merrick Rotary Club this past Rotary year,” Pecora
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welcome any initiative that will give me that opportunity to give back to the community. CoMFoRT ITokA Incoming president, Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club texted the Herald. “I am proud of all of our service projects domestically and internationally.” “I truly enjoyed being part of such a wonderful communi-
ty where people put service above self,” he added. Itoka, 72, lives in Rosedale, Queens. Born in Liberia, she runs a nonprofit called Gyabolanders & Friends, which focuses on poverty reduction in Garroway, an impoverished area in her home country. She professes a lifelong passion for helping others.
Itoka joined Rotary in 2019, after being introduced to the club by a friend. She was recently named Freeport-Merrick’s Rotarian of the Year by Rotary District 7255, which encompasses all of Long Island. “I have a nature of giving back,” she said, “so I welcome any initiative that will give me ContInuED on pAgE 7