January 4, 2023 Seaford

Oyster Bay Forward Grant Program Offers $4.5 Million To Small Businesses & Non-Profits

Oyster Bay Town

Supervisor Joseph Saladino and the Town Board announce that $4.5 million in Federal money secured by the Town of Oyster Bay will soon be available to small business owners and non-profit organizations financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses and not-forprofit organizations can apply to receive up to $5,000 in grant monies through this new initiative, known as the ‘Oyster Bay Forward’ Grant Program.

“After a year-plus long

pandemic and now facing an economic recession, small businesses need all the help they can get to stay afloat,” said Supervisor Saladino. “My administration earmarked these Federal funds to boost small businesses and not-for-profits, help them recover losses from the pandemic, and keep their operations moving forward in the Town of Oyster Bay.”

The ‘Oyster Bay Forward’ Grant Program is open to businesses that employ up to 50 full-time equivalent W-2 employees as well as

sole proprietors. Additional eligibility criteria:

Applicant must be the principal (i.e. majority owner);

Entity must be a forprofit business, or 501c3 or 501c19 non-profit organization, with annual revenue between $35,000 and $5 million; At least 60 percent of non-profit expenses must have been programmatic in 2019;

Applicant must be in operation at the time of application and have been in operation prior to January 1, 2021; Must have

fewer than 50 full-time equivalent W-2 employees; Certification and demonstration of economic hardship due to pandemic; and Not be in default or arrears on past or current federal and state financing or funding programs.

Grant monies can be utilized for a variety of purposes, including expenses that helped mitigate hardships caused by the pandemic. These could include the purchase of inventory and supplies, rent payments, utilities, property taxes, lease or purchase of equipment, as well as operating and emergency maintenance.

Applications will be processed through the National Development Council (NDC) – who was retained by the Town to administer the ‘Oyster Bay Forward’ Grant Program. Additional eligibility criteria, including required

documents, as well as applications for eligible business and non-profit organizations are available at TOBForward.com, where interested parties can also

sign up to participate in an informative webinar further detailing the application process.

When Remodeling A Home

When remodeling a home with the ultimate goal of making it more attractive to prospective buyers, homeowners can benefit from taking stock of current trends, including the style of home that’s most popular. According to a 2020 Homes.com survey of more than 5,000 adults across the United States,

modern farmhouse is the most favored house style. The survey asked participants to choose from a selection of styles, including mid-century modern ranch, Spanish colonial/southwest, bohemian craftsman, Italianate, French chateau, and Tudor. The modern farmhouse style was the most popular

choice in 42 of the 50 states, proving that home style preference is not beholden to geography. Respondents gave a host of reasons for favoring the modern farmhouse look, including that the style is “aesthetically appealing but not boring” and that it looks “simple, cozy, and not too busy.”

OYSTER BAY FORWARD GRANT PROGRAM - Supervisor Saladino joins with Town Clerk Rich LaMarca, Massapequa Park Village Mayor Dan Pearl, local officials and Chambers of Commerce to unveil the Oyster Bay Forward Program.

Successful Donation Drive

On Monday, December 19, 2022, Noelle Lambert and The Bryn Elliott Team concluded their Holiday Donation Drive, which ran for four weeks and had drop-off locations throughout Long Island. The drive brought in countless donations, all of which were given to a local non-profit organization, the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless (LICH).

“It was such a great experience and people didn’t hold back,” said Noelle Lambert, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “I received calls, texts and emails from people who heard of the drive and wanted to donate, many of which ended up giving so much that they couldn’t bring it all into a drop-off location in one trip. Although it’s a very sad reality that many individuals are experiencing homelessness and other hardships right here on Long Island, it was really refreshing to see our community come together and do something about it.”

The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless strives to end homelessness on Long Island, and to alleviate the issues associated with homelessness and poverty for homeless and at risk persons in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The organization’s distribution center where the donations were brought is located at 600 Albany Avenue in Amityville,

and is also known as their boutique. People in need can make an appointment to come to the boutique and leave with clothes and other items, such as non perishable food and personal care products for free. LICH is here to work directly with people in need, as well as with case managers, shelter staff members, school employees, church members and the like who are helping these individuals.

”This organization does so much good and it was a pleasure to contribute towards their important mission,” said Bryn Elliott, Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker with Douglas Elliman Real Estate. “So many people have clothing and miscellaneous items that they aren’t using, while others are in real need; it’s just a matter of coordinating a collection. However, it’s clear that the holiday spirit helped our drive quite a bit. I want to express how thankful we are to all who donated, as well as for the businesses that allowed us to use their locations for the drive, which includes USA Auto Body in East Patchogue, The Fish Store in Bayport, Long Island Media Group in

Farmingdale and Douglas Elliman Real Estate in Smithtown and Farmingville.”

“We are so very grateful for this drive that Noelle and The Bryn Elliott Team put together,” said Bailey Riekkinen, Community Engagement Specialist at LICH.

“The Long Island Coalition for the Homeless will continue to advocate and serve until we achieve our mission of ending homelessness on Long Island. In 2022, we referred over 700 households for permanent housing through Coordinated Entry, a system that ensures the most vulnerable Long Islanders are prioritized for permanent, affordable housing. Affordable housing is scarce on Long Island, and we are consistently working hard at connecting Long Island’s most vulnerable to the available resources. Additionally, we received and distributed over 10,000 pounds of food and toiletries along with countless clothing items to locals that are homeless and at-risk on the streets and in shelters through our boutique and pantry.”

Together we can make a true difference in our community.

If you would like more information about starting a donation drive with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, please contact Bailey at 631.464.4314 x125. For more information about LICH and all they offer, visit www. addressthehomeless.org or call 631.464.4314.

Helping You Help Others

By Noelle Lambert

The Charity of the Month for January is Pal-O-Mine Equestrian

Pal-O-Mine Equestrian is a local non-profit organization that began in 1995 as a therapeutic horseback riding program for individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. They grew from having two programs, eight horses and 80 students per week to 11 programs, 25 horses and 400 students per week - and they continue to grow today! “Our mission has been, and continues to be, to provide a comprehensive therapeutic equine program using horses to facilitate growth, learning and healing,” said Lisa Gatti, Founder and CEO of Pal-O-Mine Equestrian. “We proudly serve individuals with disabilities, those who have been abused or neglected, the military and the impoverished.”

Their location in Islandia offers an unequaled setting for equestrian activities, with a 20-stall barn on 13 acres, handicapped accessible bathrooms, a 100’ x 120’ indoor arena with state-of-the-art-footing and a rider hoisting system, 3 outdoor riding arenas, classrooms, accessible playground, a greenhouse and a wellness center. They offer the following programs:

Lessons: This program provides quality adaptive riding and unmounted lessons that benefit individuals with cognitive, physical, emotional and mental disabilities. Each one of their riding instructors excels in their field and continues with training and certification throughout their careers.

Equine Assisted Learning: This program incorporates horses experientially for educational and emotional growth and learning. Using unique approaches to create positive and constructive learning experiences for children and adolescents who are at risk of failing in the traditional academic setting, this program has changed the lives of countless individuals.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy: This follows a model designed by EAGALA,

Inc., the leading international EAP training and certifying organization. Currently, Pal-OMine Equestrian has 7 Licensed Mental Health Professionals and 11 Equine Specialists who are certified in this model. Groups that are participating focus on the following issues: grief, trauma and abuse, eating disorders, substance abuse, addiction and codependency.

Speech & Occupational Therapy: Clients respond well to therapy incorporating activities with animals, and a variety of therapy goals can be addressed using this treatment strategy. Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists run this program to provide therapy services with the assistance of wonderful animals.

Military: For more than four thousand years, horses have been an integral part of warfare. Today, horses are still playing an important role in war, this time in the recovery of military veterans who have suffered emotional and/or physical injuries. This program is an EAGALA designated Military Program and offers individual, group and family sessions to help people heal.

Corporate Leadership: The way individuals interact and react with horses is very similar to the way they interact with their clients, customers, peers and work groups. People interpret horse behavior/emotions through the lens of their personal perception. How they interpret horses can often be a metaphor for their work, attitudes and relationships. Pal-O-Mine Equestrian is proud to offer a Corporate Leadership program.

For more information about this organization and all they offer, please call 631-348-1389 or visit www.pal-omine.org. Don’t miss next week’s article to learn about how you can get involved and help others in your community.

Donations collected from the drive

Noelle Lambert & Bryn Elliott

(NAPSI)-A recent online survey by Toluna/ Greenfield Online, Inc. found that while most consumers try to protect their identity, many admitted to risky behavior that could put them at risk for ID theft. To help educate and protect consumers, world-renowned fraud prevention expert Frank Abagnale offers these tips:

Identity Theft Prevention Tips

• Shop smart: Limit the credit cards you carry.

•Keep receipts and check your statements: Examine every charge on your statement before paying. Your receipts provide a great cross-reference check and guard against suspicious activity. You have 30 days from the date of your statement to notify your financial institution

of any discrepancies; otherwise, you can be liable for any purchases.

• Protect your computer when online shopping: Make sure your security patch and anti-virus software are updated regularly. Consider technology to protect against potential viruses.

• Watch where you shop online: Look for the lock icon on the site’s browser status bar, a sign that that site is safe. If you have never heard of a website before, see if it has security precautions in place and isn’t a fake site set up by identity thieves.

•Don’t write checks: Give cash or gift cards. The information on a check—name, signature, address—can be used to steal identity.

•Strengthen passwords: Use passwords with at least eight characters, including a combination of letters, numbers and

symbols that are easy for you to remember but difficult for predators to guess.

• Watch your wallet: Be careful at parties, restaurants, fitness clubs, shopping carts and your car.

• Don’t take the bait on phishing scams: Also, beware of shoulder surfing (when a thief looks over

your shoulder while you’re at an ATM, either directly or via a camera).

• Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you’ll be away from home.

• Consider an identity theft protection service: One low-cost solution monitors the online criminal underground where identities are bought and sold and instantly

alerts you if your Social Security number or up to 10 credit card or debit card numbers are posted by thieves. The service also scans online directories and search engines, prime sources for spammers and thieves, letting you know where your information is available, and provides advice on how to remove it.

Strong communities are able to thrive thanks to the efforts of their residents, including those who give up their free time to volunteer with local charitable organizations. Though the impact of volunteers is often seen

through the lens of the projects they help to initiate and complete, there’s no denying just how valuable volunteers are from an economic standpoint. In its 2018 “Volunteering in America Report,” AmeriCorps, an

The Impact Of Volunteers

organization dedicated to strengthening communities and fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering, reported that Americans volunteered nearly 6.9 billion hours worth an estimated $167 billion in

2017. Volunteering figures to be even more valuable in the months and years ahead as towns, cities and countries look to recover from a global pandemic that claimed millions of lives and devastated economies big and small.

As the world attempts to rebuild itself once the pandemic has ended, volunteers can play vital roles in reestablishing their communities.

In fact, many people have already made that recognition. According to

data from the professional social networking site LinkedIn, the site’s users had added more than 110,00 volunteer activities to their profiles between the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 and the end of summer 2020.

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