__________________ Merrick _________________
HERALD VoL. 28 No. 5
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JANUARY 30 - FEBRUARY 5, 2025
Marine recruit shaves head for good cause that provides research grants for childhood cancer in the country. The foundation’s main fundDominick Brown, a Mepham High School senior who is pre- raising event, “Chop Your paring to join the U.S. Marines, Locks for Charity,” is scheduled shaved his head on Jan. 15 to to take place on March 19. Each benefit the St. Baldrick’s Foun- year, the fundraiser brings in dation to fund research for hundreds of thousands of dolpediatric cancer. lars — a large portion coming Brown, who lives from the Mepham in North Bellmore, c o m m u n i t y. gathered with his Me pham seniors friends and family have raised more in the school’s gymthan $700,000 nasium as fellow throughout the “shavees” on the foundation’s histoday before his early ry. graduation, raising Brown and m o re t h a n $ 5 0 0 , Christopher Patten, which exceeded a global history their $200 goal. teacher at Mepham “I’m feeling and an organizer great, I’m feeling ADAM CLARk for the school’s sera c c o m p l i s h e d , ” Veteran vice learning proBrown said. “I g ram, worked knew going into basic (train- together on the St. Baldrick’s ing) I would have to shave my fundraiser before his early head regardless, so I felt it graduation. would be very good to do so for “We’ve had faculty members a great cause.” who have been impacted by St. Baldrick’s has worked to childhood cancer with their fund research into pediatric own children,” Patten said. “It’s cancer for 25 years. Cancer is become something that the the most common disease-relat- school really rallies behind.” ed cause of death among chilIn the next few weeks, the dren in the U.S., and according rest of Mepham’s seniors will to the foundation’s website, St. begin to plan their contribuBaldrick’s is the largest charity Continued on page 10
By JoSEPH D’ALESSANDRo
jdalessandro@liherald.com
Courtesy Merrick Union Free School District
Community read aloud at Lakeside School School administrators, politicians, business owners, first responders and others came out to the annual Community Read Aloud event, reading a pre-selected book to classrooms in Merrick. Above, Lakeside School concluded PARP week with a little help from some community volunteers on Jan. 17. Story, more photos, Page 16.
Rose Girone, Holocaust survivor, turns 113 A resident of Belair, she’s the oldest person in New York By JoRDAN VALLoNE jvallone@liherald.com
According to Rose Girone — a 113-year-old Bellmore resident — the secret to a long, healthy life is simple: Live every day with a purpose, have amazing children, and eat lots of dark chocolate. Girone, who has resided in the Belair Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in North Bellmore since she was 109, rung in her milestone 113th birthday on Jan. 13 or, coincidentally, 1/13. She’s the oldest person living in New York, the fifth oldest in the U.S., the 28th oldest in the world — and perhaps most impressively — the oldest living Holocaust survivor. Girone was born on Jan. 13, 1912 in Poland. Her family moved around a few times during her early life, and one of the places she lived was Vienna, Austria. In 1938, she married her first husband, Julius Mannheim, and they moved to Breslau, Ger many, which is now Wroclaw,
Poland — around the same time Nazi aggression towards Jews became prevalent. By 1939, the family knew they had to leave Germany, and fled to the only country that still had openings for immigrants — China. Girone and her family, including her young daughter, Reha, arrived in Shanghai’s international settlement after a month-long boat trek, and for a short while, there was peace in the city. As World War II raged on and the Japanese eventually occupied Shanghai, the Jewish community was forced into a ghetto within the city. Girone’s family lived in a small room, which was originally a bathroom. Food was scarce and rationed, and hot water had to be purchased from vendors on the street. Girone would buy water, bathe her daughter, wash clothes and then the floor of their living quarters — all with the same bucket. They had no heat or stove, but lots of rats and vermin. Girone’s granddaughter, Gina Bennicasa, who Continued on page 2
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believe that we all have the opportunity to make a difference in this world.