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Friday, October 26, 2018
Vol. 78, No. 43
A HAPPY HICKSVILLE HOMECOMING
Local organization brings birthday parties to kids in shelters BY GARY SIMEONE
The early morning rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the Hicksville faithful at the annual Homecoming Fair at Hicksville High School on October 13th. The homecoming celebration proved to be a success, as the Hicksville varsity team, defeated rival Westbury 26-6. Above, Anthony Cerrato and Kerry Bernet were crowned homecoming king and queen.
School janitor accused of thefts
Anthony D’Ambrosio
Nassau County Police arrested a janitor at Levittown Memorial High School for allegedly stealing checks from parents that had been made out to the school. According to police, multiple parents mailed personal checks to pay for their children’s dance program fees to the school. They say school officials dis-
covered that Anthony D’Ambrosio, 22, of Seaford, a janitor at the school, took the checks and deposited them into his personal bank account. Detectives responded to the school and placed the defendant under arrest without incident on October 18th He is charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree.
Everyone wants to be recognized and made to feel special on their birthday. That is the sole purpose of the nonprofit organization Birthday Wishes of Long Island, which provides birthday parties for kids living in homeless shelters. Jaime Rapfogel, Long Island director and founder of Birthday Wishes, with headquarters in Hicksville, said that the organization caters to over 70 shelters across Long Island. “Our birthday volunteers provide parties to kids in shelters from Riverhead to Hempstead,” said Rapfogel, who started the grassroots organization ten years ago. “We celebrate over 120 birthdays a month.” She said that two kinds of birthday packages are provided for the kids, including an on-site birthday party and a party where the presents and cake are delivered to the shelters by the volunteer staff. “With the on-site parties, our volunteers go to the shelters and hold the parties there. They bring the cake, balloons, and a box of gifts, and play games and crafts with the kids.” Each kid receives a colorful birthday box with items such as paper goods, juice boxes, and toys to play with. The kids also get a birthday cake or cupcakes and a bag of presents. A typical bag contains five or six presents such as sports balls, dolls, games, and an assortment of books. Sometimes a wish list is included in the package, where a kid is able to request what kind of toys or games they’d like to receive. “A lot of these kids aren’t recognized on their birthdays and some have never seen their name on a cake,” said Rapfogel. “These parties are something they look forward to all month, and it means a lot to them when we show up and recognize them on their special day.” The volunteers at Birthday Wishes hold parties at shelters with 100 families living in it, and at smaller shelters with 18-20 kids. At the small shelter parties, every kid living there is invited to attend in the celebration. Susan Gold, who is regional coordinator at the organization along with Maureen Mantesta, said that volunteers are at the facility three days a week wrapping presents. “We have a lot of volunteers who dedicate their time to ensure that a kid living in a shelter will have a special day to look forward to,” said Gold.
Levittown Board, top students honored PAGE 10 Top string students selected for festival PAGE 4