Friday, August 30, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 35
MARINE BIOLOGY CAMP
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Mid Island Y receives grant for senior care BY RIKKI MASSAND
Fifty-two Levittown students enjoyed Marine Biology Camp this summer for one week at Caumsett State Park. They enjoyed a boat fishing trip among other trips. See page 4
Fall Oyster Bay Harbor cleanup planned The Fall Oyster Bay Harbor Cleanup, scheduled to take place between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 14. This environmental cleanup is co-sponsored by the Town of Oyster Bay, the North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association (NOBBA) and Friends of the Bay. “The Oyster Bay Harbor Cleanup is an amazing and inspirational annual fall cleanup event that features Town employees and volunteers rolling up their sleeves and working side by side to
rid our beaches and shoreline areas of debris,” said Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino. This annual environmental initiative provides residents an opportunity to spend a day working to make a difference, as debris that has washed ashore and accumulated over time will be collected and discarded properly throughout the day. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves with them and meet at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park launching ramps and
waterfront gazebo located off of Larrabee Avenue in Oyster Bay. Additional meeting locations for the cleanup include Theodore Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay, Stehli Beach in Bayville and Centre Island Beach in Bayville. Individuals and groups who are interested in participating in the Fall Oyster Bay Harbor Cleanup may call the Town of Oyster Bay’s Department of Environmental Resources at (516) 677-5943 or visit www. oysterbaytown.com.
This summer the Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center (JCC) was awarded a grant through the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) to establish a program that will help older adults living in Syosset to agein-place in their own homes and remain in their community. The center’s Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, or “NNORC” program is modeled after a successful launch serving nearby senior citizen populations of Plainview and Old Bethpage, which as of this summer had assisted over 1,000 seniors in each of the two communities. The grant is planned to implement a new Syosset program, Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community -- Seniors of Syosset (NNORCSOS). The NNORC-SOS program will provide a range of social services, community health nursing care and support, volunteer-based services, and group activities. Rick Lewis, a Plainview native and executive director of the Mid-Island Y JCC, spoke with the Syosset Advance and Jericho Syosset News Journal on August 22 and explained the new program’s potential along with the JCC’s presence forged through
the Syosset Woodbury Chamber of Commerce. “The Mid-Island Y JCC is keenly aware of service gaps that have existed for older adults in the Syosset area, including limited transportation options for those who no longer drive. There are many Syosset seniors currently aging in-place, and the services we provide are based upon keeping people successfully living in their homes. The target audience is anybody 65 or older that lives in the Syosset/Woodbury area. We are excited to take steps to fill in these service gaps,” Lewis said. He says because the Plainview and Old Bethpage NNORC’s service over 1,000 people apiece, the initial goal would be to have the same population reached in Syosset, “but that would depend on how much service we are providing to each person.” As part of the state-level grant application process for instituting the new program, the Mid-Island Y JCC undertook a needs assessment of the community. Its outreach involved speaking with community leaders, compiling written surveys, and inviting seniors to participate in open forum discussions. “We will offer consultation See page 11
High grades for Bethpage schools PAGE 3 A connected community of readers PAGE 16