_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD Annual talent show takes stage
Pancakes for a cause
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VOL. 61 NO. 18
APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2026
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Warriors raise funds to kick off spring cleanups
our fall festival.” The nonprofit organization, made up of neighbors, business Oceanside Community War- owners and volunteers, is comriors — a volunteer group dedi- mitted to improving the quality c a t e d t o b e a u t i f y i n g a n d of life in the hamlet. Since its strengthening the community founding nearly seven years — drew residents together for ago, the group has organized an afternoon of music, food park cleanups, holiday drives and service at South Shore and large-scale community Craft Brewery on April 19, dur- events. Badalamenti said the idea ing its annual Spring into Serbehind Spring into vice fundraiser. Service was to creThe familyfriendly event, now ate an accessible, in its third year, fearelaxed event that tured live music by brings residents Shane Cour tenay, t o g e t h e r b e yo n d food trucks, drinks, vo l u n t e e r wo rk raf fles, and childays. dren’s activities and “We didn’t want games, all aimed at to just be a one-off supporting the fall festival, and not group’s year-round everyone can make efforts across it to the cleanups,” JEANINE Oceanside. she said. “We wantOrganizers said BADALAMENTI ed something easy t h e f u n d r a i s e r Secretary, Oceanside a n d l a i d - b a c k , serves as both a Community Warriors where families kickof f to the could come togethg roup’s spring er, have fun and cleanup season and a critical also share ideas about what source of funding for its proj- they’d like to see improved in ects. the community.” “This is our spring fundraisThroughout the afternoon, er each year,” Jeanine Badala- organizers set up an informamenti, the Warriors’ secretary, tion table, where attendees said. “It’s a way to keep us learned about upcoming initiaafloat so we can continue every- tives and explored ways to get thing we do — from cleanups to CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
By ABIGAIL GRIECO
agrieco@liherald.com
Courtesy Island Park Public Schools
A week of acceptance and awareness Students and staff at Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School, in Island Park, marked Autism Awareness Month with a week of activities celebrating neurodiversity, inclusion and self-expression. In a schoolwide project, students shared their strengths on brain-shaped cutouts, creating a colorful display of individuality and acceptance.
In new book, a doctor tackles fatigue By ABIGAIL GRIECO agrieco@liherald.com
Four months after the release of his first book, Dr. Athan Smyrlis is already seeing what he hoped for: meaningful changes in the lives of the people closest to him — and in the patients he treats every day. His book, “Why So Tired?” published True Health Compass LLC in January, offers a 101-day guide to improving energy, sleep and mental clarity through small, consistent lifestyle changes. Since its release, Smyrlis said, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, both from readers and from those he treats in his practice. “I wrote it for my family, my friends and my patients,” he said. “To now see it actually help-
ing people feel better, that’s the most rewarding part.” Smyrlis, 45, has been a clinical and interventional cardiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, in Oceanside, for the past decade. Born and raised in Greece, he specializes in invasive cardiology and regularly treats patients with serious heart conditions. But it wasn’t just his professional experience that inspired the book — it was also personal. For years, Smyrlis said, fatigue was one of the most common complaints he heard from patients, often without a clear medical explanation. Then, he experienced it himself. “There was a period in my life where I felt completely drained,” he said. “I did all the testCONTINUED ON PAGE 13
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f we all come together, there’s really no stopping what we can do for Oceanside.