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Vol. 25 No. 50
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Hablamos Español
Grace Reform is ‘blessed’ with new playground By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Jordan Vallone/Herald
ThE GRACE REFoRM Baptist Church thanked Ian Conlon for his hard work at a ceremony last week. Conlon, center, with, from left, the Rev. Douglas Totter; Deacon Dan Totter; Ian’s father, Michael Conlon; his mother, Annika; and the Rev. Robert Karson.
When Ian Conlon was preparing to do his Eagle Scout project, he thought long and hard about whom he’d like it to benefit. After toying with some ideas, the 17-year-old North Merrick resident settled on the Grace Reform Baptist Church, where he’d attended preschool many years ago. Conlon has been a member of the Merrick-based Troop 351 since he was 12, but he wasn’t always a Boy Scout. He joined a
bit later than most boys, he said, because his older brother, Erik, was involved, and he saw the impact the troop’s work had on the community. Erik is an Eagle Scout himself, having earned the rank in 2020. “I did go to preschool there,” Conlon told the Herald last week, after a short ceremony at Grace Reform, “but afterwards, I didn’t really come here much. I would come sometimes, just to see the teachers. But I wanted to come back and help them out.” The church’s preschool is no Continued on page 8
Understanding HIV’s impact on LGBTQ community December is HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, and Pride For Youth, a local organization that is affiliated with the Long Island Crisis Center in Bellmore, is doing what it can to educate people in vulnerable communities about the disease, and to operate as a safe haven and outreach center that can get people who are affected by it the support and health care they need. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported cases of the human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, in June 1981. The virus damages the
immune system and interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection and disease. If left undetected or untreated, it causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Today, health care organizations like the CDC know a lot more about HIV, how it is spread, and its progression once it is contracted. Since the virus was first detected, over 80 million people have been infected, and 40 million have died. While the virus can be treated, and people with it can live long and healthy lives, groups like PFY strive to make sure people know if they are at risk. The organization, which also has a
home base in Bellmore, provides access to testing and educational tools not just in December, but all year long. “Primarily, we are funded through the AIDS Institute,” Tawni Engel, associate director of the Long Island Crisis Center, said, referring to the agency of the New York State Department of Health. “Year round, we’re always doing HIV testing and prevention. “A lot of our programs actually are focused around educating the community on these things,” Engel said, “because statistically we do see a lot of members of the LGBTQ community at risk for HIV.”
The CDC says that while all Americans are affected by the HIV epidemic, certain populations account for the largest number of infections, including gay and bisexual men, injection drug users, and transgender individuals. Ethnically, AfricanAmericans and Latinos are at greater risk than other groups of people.
PFY offers a lot to the LGBTQ community, including social groups, counseling, and events throughout the year. Engel said that while those activities are part of the group’s mission, teaching those at risk how to be responsible and to take charge of their health is the overarching goal. Continued on page 2
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