______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD Howell Road turns a new page
Honoring MLK Day in the schools
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VOL. 37 NO. 6
FEBRUARY 5 - 11, 2026
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Mindful Munchkins is coming to V.S. ings for younger children and provide programming tailored specifically to early childhood A new children’s mindful- development. Mindful Munchkins is led by ness program will be introduced in Valley Stream this Katie Haas, a licensed master spring, offering young resi- social worker with more than dents structured tools to sup- 10 years of experience working with children. Haas port focus, confipreviously worked dence and emotionin pediatric hospial well-being. tal settings and The Mindful facilitated chilMunchkins prodren’s suppor t gram will run from g roups. She is a March 7 through mother of two and April 11, meeting has been offering on Saturdays for the Mindful one-hour sessions Munchkins proin the Lake Room at gram for the past the Valley Stream year at the ChilCommunity Center. dren’s Social Club The prog ram, in Rockville Centre. designed for chil- KAtIE HAAs The program dren ages 4 to 8, is Instructor, introduces mindfulbeing offered in the Mindful Munchkins ness concepts in an village for the first accessible, engagtime. Jimmy Fitanzo, the village’s director of rec- ing way for young children. reation, said the Recreation Activities include breathwork, Department viewed Mindful movement, storytelling, crafts Munchkins as an important and creative play. “For me, ultimately, I hope addition to its existing lineup of children’s programming. that they’re able just to underWhile the Community Center s t a n d t h e p owe r o f t h e i r already offers a variety of pro- breath, because truly that just grams for children ages 7 to 12, holds so much power within the department identified an their body to calm themselves opportunity to expand offerCONtiNued ON PAge 20
By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO
azingariello@liherald.com
F
Sue Grieco/Herald
Neighbors of Sylvan Place in Valley Stream gathered on Jan. 24 to present a ceremonial check to Camp ANCHOR in support of its programs.
Sylvan Place residents present checks to local charities By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
The organizers of the annual Sylvan Place Holiday Block Party in Valley Stream presented donation checks to Sunrise Day Camp and Camp ANCHOR — the two local charities that benefit from the longtime neighborhood tradition. The check presentations, which took place on Jan. 24, donated the proceeds from the most recent holiday block party, which annually raises funds for the two camps. Donations collected during the event were divided evenly between the two organizations, with each receiving $1,850. While Sylvan Place residents have decorated their homes for the holidays for
decades, the event took on added significance in 2014, when neighbors formally added the donation aspect to the block party to honor two former residents, Christopher Schroeder and Michael Smith. Schroeder died of cancer in 2013 at the age of 18, and Smith, who had Down syndrome, died the same year at age 44. Since then, proceeds from the annual celebration have supported causes connected to their lives. “It’s about giving back, it’s about helping out,” organizer Alex Carr, who has lived on Sylvan Place for 58 years, said. “If we’re going to be out there anyway, and we’re able to help and bring attention to two worthy charities that could use the money and the help. And we know that it is helping people CONtiNued ON PAge 13
or me, ultimately, I hope that they’re able just to understand the power of their breath.