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Friday, July 9, 2021
Vol. 9, No. 28
LIVING 50 PLUS
FISHKIND OUTLINES ISSUES, INITIATIVES
MAJOR CRIME DECREASES
PAGE 21-28
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Congregation awards $500K after COVID UUCSR emergency distribution to aid social service programs BY S A M U E L E PETRUCCELLI Half a million dollars will be distributed by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock to combat food insecurity, homelessness and educational disadvantages exacerbated by COVID-19. The funding, in addition to $170,000 distributed last year, will go to 19 Long Island organizations in the form of unrestricted grants. Recipient organizations include Island Harvest, Sunnyside Community Services and others addressing a range of social needs. Jana North, who was recently appointed president of the congregation, said she was glad to provide aid to address pandemic emergencies. “When COVID hit, there was a very strong sense within the congregation that they wanted to try to support local organizations that
were going to get hit very hard,” North said. “What we really needed to do was give a substantial amount.” The most recent round of emergency funding was voted on by the congregation to meet immediate needs. This stands apart from the Veatch program, which awards millions of dollars a year. “We wanted the money quickly, we wanted the money to go locally, and we wanted it to go to organizations that were doing things right now,” North said. “That brought it out of the sphere that we usually give through the Veatch program.” In the early days of the pandemic, the congregation was awarding smaller groups of grants near $50,000. Now, the total amount of aid given by the church is closing in on $700,000. The most recent half million in grants were awarded to organizaContinued on Page 34
PHOTO COURTESY OF NORTHWELL HEALTH
Northwell Health nurse Sandra Lindsay was honored by President Joe Biden on Friday. See story on page 2.
EWSD defends handling of graduate’s speech BY S A M U E L E PETRUCCELLI
tinians as ethnic cleansing, the East Williston Board of Education declined to address the contents Facing criticism over a stu- of the speech. But at a public meeting on dent’s graduation speech that set off a furor by referring to the vio- Tuesday, the board president, lence between Israelis and Pales- Mark Kamberg, said the district
was safe and welcoming for all races and ethnicities. The student who gave the speech on June 20, Huda Ayaz, was confronted by an adult who shouted “go back to Pakistan” at Continued on Page 12
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