A Lasting Tribute to Freedom
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VOL. 29 NO. 27
JULY 2 - 8, 2026
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OBITUARY
Susan Helsinger, former Herald POTY, dies at 75 tragedies. The foundation became a driving force behind pediatric Susan Gruen Helsinger, a hear t-health initiatives on Merrick philanthropist, real Long Island, helping fund chilestate leader and advocate for dren’s heart centers at Columchildren’s heart health whose bia Presbyterian Medical Cenfoundation helped identify ter and Cohen Children’s Medipotentially life-threatening car- cal Center, supporting research diac conditions in into cardiac abnorLong Island stumalities and bringdents, died June 15. ing heart screenHelsinger, a forings to local mer president of schools. the Long Island Beginning in Board of Realtors 2006, Helsinger and the Herald’s worked to establish 2016 Person of the voluntary cardiac Year, spent more screening prothan four decades grams for middle transfor ming per- DOUG MILLS s ch o o l s t u d e n t s, sonal tragedy into a Merrick Chamber of first in the Bellmission t h a t Commerce more-Merrick Centouched countless tral High School lives across Long District and later Island. in other districts After the sudden death of across Long Island. The screenher 15-year-old son, Jason ings helped identify dozens of Gruen, from hypertrophic car- children with heart abnormalidiomyopathy in 1985, Helsinger ties, some of them life-threatfounded the Jason Gruen Foun- ening, allowing families to dation to suppor t cardiac seek treatment before a mediresearch, hospital programs cal emergency occurred. and early detection ef forts For her efforts, Helsinger aimed at preventing similar
By HERNESTO GALDAMEZ
hgaldamez@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
In 2024, the Long Island International Film Expo brought in filmmakers from around the world, who were working in a number of genres and styles of film.
Annual film L.I. festival will return International film expo brings in exclusive films By JOSEPH D’ALESSANDRO jdalessandro@liherald.com
The Long Island International Film Expo is returning to Bellmore this summer, with a wide selection of film screenings and panels featuring filmmakers from Long Island and around the world. The 29th annual festival will take place July 7 to 12 Bellmore Movies and Showplace, at 222 Pettit Ave. Debra Markowitz, of Merrick, president and chair of the Long Island Film and TV Foundation, is also an independent filmmaker who has worked on some 50 films. “We have panels every year on screenwriting, and we have a live table read of the winning screenplay, which we’ve been doing
for a couple of years,” Markowitz previously told the Herald. “We have filmmakers from all over the world come in and network for those several days. We’ve got so much stuff going on here at the filmmakers’ expo — it’s the summer playground for filmmakers on Long Island, and we happily live up to that.” There are well over a hundred movie screenings planned over the course of six days. “It’s been great to put this together and see everybody come and really celebrate it,” Markowitz said of the annual film festival. “They’re almost like our different film families all coming together. But if you’re interested in making a film or interested in seeing films or even learning just how they’re ContInuEd on pagE 12
S
usan’s
compassion for helping others was boundless.
ContInuEd on pagE 28
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