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KELLY MURPHY Executive director/CEO

HARVEY B. BESUNDER Attorney

CHRISTINE FAGERENG Educator

Harvey B. Besunder, of East Setauket, has received the 2025 Attorney Professionalism Award from the New York State Bar Association for his “commitment to promoting respect for the legal system,” according to the association. Besunder, who has been practicing law since 1967, is a partner at Patchogue-based law firm Egan & Golden LLP, as well as past president of the Suffolk County Bar Association and current co-chairman of the association’s Commercial Division Committee, according to the firm. He lectures on topics ranging from commercial law to property valuation.

EGAN & GOLDEN

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WINNERS

SOUTHAMPTON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Christine Fagereng, of Hampton Bays, has received the Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award for the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance’s Suffolk Zone. The distinction recognizes her for “excellence in her field and for creating engaging and effective physical education programs that benefits her students,” according to the Southampton school district.

Fagereng is a physical education teacher at Southampton Elementary School and has worked in the district for the past eight years, district officials said. She also spent 12 years coaching various sports including junior varsity softball, middle school boys soccer and track, and middle school girls soccer, volleyball and softball, according to the district.

Kelly Murphy, of Huntington, has received the Linda J. Hill Leadership Award from the New York State Economic Development Council for her “longstanding commitment to economic development, mentorship and public service across Long Island,” according to the council. Murphy has been executive director and CEO of the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency since June 2024 and has helped close 107 transactions that have generated more than $1.4 billion in private capital investment, according to the IDA. She is also on the council’s board.

— MICHAEL R. EBERT

NOMINATE A WINNER Email information about the accomplishment or honor to winners@newsday.com. Include photo in JPEG format; color is preferred.

HOMETOWN HERO

Young writer shares love of books with others

newsday.com NEWSDAY, SUNDAY, AUGUST 10, 2025

A Great Neck girl who loves literature is striving to promote the importance of reading to children in underserved communities.

Madeleine Chin, 12, has been donating books to schools in low-income neighborhoods and delivering presentations on topics including the health benefits of reading through her nonprofit organization Mindful Reading. The organization, founded in February, has donated more than 2,500 new and used children’s books to various schools, with Madeleine presenting to hundreds of students at six schools in Queens.

Madeleine is also the author of two self-published fiction novels for teens and young adults — each of which exceeds 50,000 words — and is now working on her third book, she said. She also received the bronze-level President’s Volunteer Service Award, a national honor, this past spring for completing more than 50 hours of community service in a 12-month span.

“I was inspired to form Mind-

‘

She helped our students see that writing is not only possible, but exciting and creative.’

— Teacher Marissa Fisher, of PS 312Q

ful Reading because my readers reached out to me and in their e-mails told me how I have inspired them to never give up even if they’re just kids,” said Madeleine,who will enter the eighth grade next month at Great Neck South Middle School. “I wanted to make a greater and more immediate impact on these children.”

The organization secured thousands of books through giveaways and low-priced sales at places ranging from local libraries and bookstores to Facebook Marketplace, Madeleine said. She has also received numerous book donations from family and friends as well as from the Freeport-

NOMINATE A LONG ISLANDER who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.

based nonprofit Book Fairies.

Madeleine distributes the books by reaching out to teachers at Title I schools, which receive extra federal funding to help students from low-income families succeed in academic settings, she said. She also gives away books by hosting “pop-up reading corners” at locations including Cutter Mill Park in Great Neck.

“Reading has so many mental health benefits,” Madeleine said of her nonprofit’s importance. “Books will always have a place for people if they’re suffering or have internal conflicts. Or, sometimes, when there is not an adult around to help out, books can be good.”

One person who praised Madeleine’s efforts educating her students on the importance of reading and writing was Marissa Fisher, a fourthgrade teacher at the Jamaica Chil-

Madeleine Chin, 12, of Great Neck, has donated 2,500 books to various schools and has published two novels of her own.

dren’s Magnet School for Innovative Leadership and Civic Activism, PS 312Q in Queens.

“From the moment she arrived, her kindness and thoughtfulness were evident,” Fisher said in a state-

ment. “She engaged our students with warmth and authenticity, taking the time to explain her writing process in a way that was both accessible and inspiring. She helped our students see that writing is not only possible, but exciting and creative.”

MORGAN CAMPBELL

BY MICHAEL R. EBERT michael.ebert@newsday.com

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