Kristen D’Attoma, advisor of the Islip High School Student Union, coordinated the 2024 Promwear collection. The IHS Student Union has for years collected prom dresses and suits from the Islip community for donation to the Town of Islip Youth Bureau. This year, like all others, was a great success! Kristen D’Attoma is a Special Education teacher at Islip High School. Photo courtesy of the Town of Islip
Islip High School video production and broadcasting students
Olivia Auerbach, Cailin Egan, Afzal Khan, Natalia Nalbone and Katharine Placa recently earned fifth place in the national Greatest Save Teen PSA contest, sponsored by KinderVision, a charity of Major League Baseball. In the Greatest Save PSA
contest, high school teens create, script, film and edit an original 30-second public service announcement on a chosen topic.
After being named Long Island regional and New York State winners, Islip’s students and their “Not Alone” video were selected by the Greatest Save/ KinderVision board as
national finalists. This is the fourth time that Islip technology teacher Mike Reilly’s video production and broadcasting students have won their region, and in 2022 they finished in the top three in national voting.
“Everyone did an excellent job this year,” Reilly said.
HS VIDEO STUDENTS EARN FIFTH PLACE IN NATIONAL PSA CONTEST - Islip High School video production and broadcasting students Olivia Auerbach, Cailin Egan, Afzal Khan, Natalia Nalbone and Katherine Placa recently earned fifth place in the national Greatest Save Teen PSA contest. Photo courtesy of Islip School District
MAKE A SUBMISSION! Events must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the event date and will run free of charge on a space available basis. For more info, call 631.226.2636 x275 or send events to editorial@longislandmediagroup.com.
By JoAnn Cilla President
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “When you play, play hard. When you work, don’t play at all.”
The arrival of summer often brings with it a unique set of challenges and opportunities. While the warmer weather encourages us to take much-needed downtime, it’s also a critical period for planning our success in the second half of 2024. Don’t worry though, we can all have our fun in the sun AND keep our business goals on track. Here’s how:
help you take time off to recharge and enjoy the summer, and it builds confidence and skills in your team.
THURSDAY, JULY 4
DOORS OPEN AT 5:00PM INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
This free family friendly event will be held at the LICH Amphitheatre at Bald Hill in Farmingville, NY. There will be a concert starting at 5:30PM followed by fireworks beginning at 9:15PM. For more information, call 631-6482500.
SUNDAY, JULY 7
2:00PM-7:00PM COMMUNITY BBQ
Community United Methodist Church at 100 Park Blvd in Massapequa is hosting a Community BBQ. Bounce house, Obstacle Course, Games, Activities & Face Painting. A $15 bracelet lets you play all day. Food & drinks also available for purchase. Cash or Venmo only. For more information, please call 516- 541-7008 or visit http://www. cumcmassapequa.org/
TUESDAY, JULY 9
7:30PM FREE CONCERT AND GRUCCI FIREWORKS SHOW
Supervisor Saladino and the Town Board invite residents to celebrate our nation at “Salute to America,” the Town’s upcoming free Concert and Grucci Fireworks Show at TOBAY Beach.
THURSDAY, JULY 11
9:00AM to 9:00PM, and continues on FRIDAY, JULY 12
9:00AM to 9:00PM SHOOTOUT FOR SOLDIERS
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board will host the 10th Annual “Shootout for Soldiers” 24-Hour Lacrosse Benefit
Game at the Town of Oyster Bay’s John J. Burns Park on Merrick Road in Massapequa. The event benefits veterans and active duty military personnel. The Long Island Air Force Association will conduct a special ceremony on July 12th at 11:00am to honor hometown Vietnam War Veterans and present them with medals that commemorate their service to our nation. For more information, please visit http:// shootoutforsoliders.com or contact Harry Jacobs at longisland@ shootoutforsoldiers.com at 516-315-3002.
FRIDAY, JULY 12
9:00AM-11:00 AM
SPEAKER SERIES: RESTORATIVE AQUACULTURE & THE GREAT SOUTH BAY
How Does Aquaculture Affect Water Quality? Join us as we explore various aspects of how aquaculture can contribute to water quality restoration. Seating is limited. Registration is a must. Email info@ savethegreatsouthbay.org or call 631-848-0210 with any questions.
SATURDAY, JULY 13
11:30AM-3:00PM
LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER PICNIC Levittown Community Council’s 27th
Annual Lazy Days Of Summer Picnic FREE Admission, Entertainment, Games and Activities. Jerusalem Avenue Park at the East Village Green, Jerusalem Ave., Levittown. Open to all residents of the Levittown and Island Trees school district communities. For information, call 516-735-5901 or email levittowncouncil@yahoo.com
10:00AM-4:00PM ANTIQUE CAR SHOW
Wantagh Preservation Society's 3rd annual Antique Car Show. Rain date: Saturday July 20th. Wantagh Preservation Society Museum, 1700 Wantagh Avenue in Wantagh. Fee adults $1. 17 yrs & younger are free. Refreshments for sale, 50/50 raffle, entertainment, kids crafts 12:00 - 2:00pm, music, museum complex sites will be open to the public. Any questions, please email Wantaghmuseum@gmail.com
TUESDAY, JULY 16
6:00PM NORTH BABYLON PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNUAL REORGANIZATION MEETING
The Board of Trustees of the North Babylon Public Library will hold its Annual Reorganization Meeting Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the Library. The regular meeting of the Board will immediately follow the Reorganization Meeting. The public is invited to attend. The North Babylon Public Library is located at 815 Deer Park Avenue, North Babylon. for information, please call Marc D. Horowitz, Director, 631-669-4020
WEDNESDAY, JULY 17
4:00PM-9:00PM
WOW: WEDNESDAYS ON WELLWOOD
The Lindenhurst Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Lindenhurst presents WOW: Wednesdays on Wellwood! This is a fun, free block party for the whole family. Come enjoy live music, local vendors and outdoor dining. Rain date is July 24. There will be a second event on August 14 from 4:00PM9:00PM, with a rain date of August 21.Visit www.lindenhurstchamber.org for more information.
1. Prioritize and Plan: Summer is the perfect time to review the first half of the year and check your business’s performance against 2024 goals. Look at the bigger picture too— what worked, what didn’t work, and what can be improved. This exercise won’t eat up too much beach time either; a few focused sessions can set up your strategic plan for the next six months. Identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). It will help you in prioritizing your second-half goals.
2. Set Specific Summer Goals: Identify small, achievable goals for the summer that contribute to your larger objectives. Whether it’s improving customer service, building out your online presence, or trying new marketing campaigns, setting specific targets will keep you and your team focused amidst the summer slowdown (assuming you don’t have a summer seasonal business).
3. Delegate to Recharge: Delegation is key during the summer months. Empower your team by giving them more responsibilities. It will
4. Schedule Downtime: Schedule downtime just as you would do for a business meeting. Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a family barbecue, or just time spent on a hobby, take time to unwind. Rested business owners are more productive and creative—a direct benefit to your business.
5. Engage with the Community: Summer includes a ton of local events and activities. Attending and sponsoring community events will increase your visibility and network. They are a great way to informally engage with customers, and possibly generate new ideas for your business.
6. Leverage Summer for Training: Consider training sessions for you and your staff. New skills can lead to better service and innovative ideas, driving your business forward in a competitive market.
By the time you read this article, we will be right around July 4th, my halfway point between Memorial Day and Labor Day. If you haven’t done so already, make plans to get outside and enjoy the sunshine with your employees and your family. Then, when you feel rejuvenated, set the stage to exceed your goals in 2024.
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Suffolk Legislator Tom Donnelly (D-Deer Park) is pleased to inform Islip residents about the local Suffolk County Office for the Aging Summer 2024 Senior Advocate Schedule. Senior advocates are County representatives who come out into the community and assist seniors with information gathering, completion of eligibility or recertification applications and referrals to appropriate community agencies.
“It is so important for
us to provide our senior citizens with the assistance and information they need in ways that are most convenient to them. These visits allow our seniors to connect with our County’s senior advocates right in their own communities,” said Legislator Donnelly. “I hope all those interested in the services that the Suffolk County Office for the Aging provides will take advantage of this opportunity.”
This summer, Senior Advocates will be visiting
the following locations in the Town of Islip:
• Bay Shore Library, 1 S. Country Road, Brightwaters: Fridays, July 19 & September 20, 10 am – 12 pm
• Bishop McGann Housing, 200 Bishop McGann Drive, Central Islip: Mondays, July 22, August 26 & September 30, 10 am – 12 pm
• Brentwood Senior Nutrition, 16 Second Avenue, Brentwood: Mondays, July 22, August 19 & September 23,
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
• Connetquot Library, 760 Ocean Avenue, Bohemia: Thursday, July 11 & September 12, 10 am –12 pm
• East Islip Library, 381 E. Main Street, East Islip: Monday, August 12, 10 am – 12 pm
• Islip Library, 71 Monell Avenue, Islip: Mondays, July 8 & September 16, 10 am – 12 pm
• St. Anne’s Gardens, 80100 2nd Avenue, Brentwood: Friday, August 2, 8:30 –11 am
Advocates assist with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP – formerly known as food stamps), Medicare Savings Program and Heating Emergency Assistance Program (HEAP) applications. They also can provide information on Medicare, answer questions and make recommendations and referrals. For more information about available services or directions to any of these locations, please call the
Suffolk County Office for the Aging at (631) 8538200.
“For more than three decades, the Suffolk County Office for the Aging has been providing full and trouble-free access to critical services,” Donnelly said. “I am glad to see their great professional community outreach program continue and hope that every senior resident will make full use of it.”
not sure how to get started? Call today and one of our experienced Sa les Representatives will assist you. We c an help you with a lin e ad or a di splay ad. Let us at SOUTH BAY'S NEIGHBOR NEWS PAPE RS set up an adv ertising
“Creativity through a Zen Mindset” is a free workshop offered by the Adelphi NY Breast Cancer Program to women and men who have been affected by breast cancer. The inperson meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 16, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at Adelphi University in Garden City.
At the workshop participants will learn ways to achieve a “Zen mindset,” completing several art activities influenced by Japanese culture that promote calmness, simplicity and self-growth. The group will work with a variety of techniques and mediums and will experience a guided Zen meditation. All levels of artistic ability are invited to join.
Facilitators are social worker Angela
Papalia, LMSW, Assistant Director of the Adelphi Breast Cancer Program, and artist Kimberly Newman, BFA, Marketing and Communications Director, Adelphi Breast Cancer Program. Art supplies will be provided for all exercises. Space is limited to 50 participants and registration is required. To register, visit https:// buff.ly/3IznPKO Once registered, participants will receive a confirmation email with event details. This forum is sponsored by The Junior Coalition of the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer, The Marilyn Lichtman Foundation and Northwell Health Cancer Institute
Town Supervisor
Angie Carpenter recently joined members of the community at a ceremony commemorating the life and legacy of Nina Cooley with the symbolic renaming of the intersection of Fawn Drive at Grenadier Lane in East Islip, as “Nina Cooley Way.” The celebration honored Cooley’s lifelong dedication to veterans, her community and her family.
Nina Cooley’s journey began in Brooklyn during World War II when her brother Stevie’s draft inspired her commitment to supporting servicemembers. She channeled her concern into frequent letter-writing, a practice that became her lifelong mission. After the war, Nina married Harold, a United States Army veteran, and they began their family in Levittown, where Nina’s involvement with AMVETS Post 44 in Hicksville first took root.
Nina’s leadership within the AMVETS Ladies
Auxiliary was remarkable. She served as New York State Historian, then Treasurer, before becoming the youngest New York State Department President in the organization’s history. In 1960, while expecting her fifth child, Nina and Harold acquired the “Twins Inn” bar and two-lane bowling alley in East Islip, which led to the formation of AMVETS Post #18 in 1963.
The Cooleys’ commitment to veterans and community was unparalleled. Nina founded the Ladies Auxiliary Post #18 in 1965, becoming its first charter President. Under her leadership, AMVETS Post #18 became a hub of community activity, hosting bingo nights, parades, and various holiday events for families.
Nina’s grandson shared personal stories, highlighting her impact on the community. He recounted how the Cooleys’ pool became a gathering place for neighborhood
children and how Nina’s “Gram’s Day” tradition every Wednesday during summer brought together generations of her family.
For over 70 years, Nina wrote letters, sent Christmas cards, and care packages to soldiers worldwide. She also integrated these efforts into local school districts,
implementing Flag Poster and Essay contests, creating a bridge between veterans and the community.
“Nina did what she loved and wanted nothing in return,” her grandson shared. “She loved everyone for who they were, never judging and always seeing the good in everyone.”
“Nina truly embodied a spirit of service, patriotism, and unwavering dedication to our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter. “As you pass by Nina Cooley Way, may you be inspired by her lifelong dedication to serving others, and the sentiment that so
guided her life, ‘One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one Nation, evermore’.” Nina’s legacy lives on through her extensive family, including 8 children, 22 grandchildren, 36 greatgrandchildren, and 8 greatgreat-grandchildren, as well as the countless lives she touched in the community.
During the Town Meeting Finale at Islip’s Wing Elementary School, school counselor Victoria DiOrio and school social worker Allison Rutsky talked with the children about all of the character traits they had learned this year, such as fairness, caring, honesty, respect, giving, kindness and responsibility. In preparation for the event, each Wing student in kindergarten and first grade created their own superhero and discussed the special character trait they would like to have as their superpower. First grade sisters Loralei and Waverly Lamneck chose kindness as their superpower, and later came up with a special idea on how to spread kindness to others and give back to the community, inspired by DiOrio’s reading of the book “Strictly No Elephants.”
“The book is about a boy and his tiny pet elephant,”
Rutsky said. “He wanted to join the Pet Club with his elephant, but wasn’t allowed because his pet was different than the other animals. At the end of the story, the boy decided to form his own club that included all kinds of animals in all shapes and sizes, just like friends. Waverly and Loralei enjoyed the story and thought about creating their own Kindness Club that includes everyone in both of their classes. The girls invited all of the members to their house.”
“We came up with the idea of the Kindness Club so people can be kind to each other,” Waverly Lamneck said, “We wanted to be sure that the Kindness Club included everyone in our classes. First, we made invitations for the club and put it in everyone’s folders. We met two times so far at our house. The first time, we made cards for people in the
hospital to help make them feel better. We also played with bubbles and chalk.”
“The second time we met, we made birthday boxes to give to the food pantry for children in need,” Loralei Lamneck said. “Each birthday box had cake mix, icing and a can of Sprite. Our mom told us that you can bake a cake with Sprite! It’s not fair if you don’t have cake for your birthday. Everyone needs sweets on their birthday. We are still thinking of ideas to do at our next meeting.”
“The hospital sent a letter to thank the Kindness Club for spreading kindness and generosity,” Rutsky said. “It is wonderful to see that Lorelai, Waverly and the Kindness Club members have generalized what they have learned from our Town Meetings at school, and chose to spread kindness in their own creative ways.”
Loralei and Waverly Lamneck created a Kindness Club to spread
and give back to the community. Photos courtesy of Islip School District
