Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
At The Rizzuto Law Firm, we don't just practice law; we play to win. Our team of dedicated personal injury attorneys is here to go to bat for you.
_________________ WANTAGH ________________ ________________ _________________ bellmore
HERALD $1.00 $1.00
1240996
Call (855) RIZZUTO Email info@rizzutolaw.com rizzutolawfirm.com
What’s INSIDE
Collecting hockey equipment for those in need Page 6
Raising money, all in memory of Dylan Murphy Page 16
'On Tour' graduate stars as Babe in 'The Cher Show' Page 19
DECEMBER 28, 2023 - JANUARY 3, 2024
Vol. 27 No. 1
HERALD PERSON oF THE YEAR AbigAil PtAcek
Abigail Ptacek is ‘a powerhouse of an individual’ By Jordan Vallone
Over the past decade, 600 students have been touched by the good work of Abigail Ptacek. Since 2012, she has delivered backpacks, school supplies and more to children in the North Bellmore School District. An inspiration to the people around her, particularly district officials, Ptacek’s good deeds, charitable personality, and commitment to community, have left a mark on all who know her. For her efforts to ensure that all students have access to school supplies, year after year, the Herald is proud to name her its 2023 Person of the Year. Ptacek, 17, is not a Bellmore native. Her connection to the town stems from her grandparents, Sue and Bob Ptacek, he has a whom she credits for her charitable depth and ways. Her grandma lives just a block from Martin Avenue Elementary soul about her School in North Bellmore, the school that Ptacek brings her annual donation that belies her to. years. Her grandfather died a few years ago, but along with her grandmother, Marie TeSTa who was an art teacher at WellingSuperintendent ton C. Mepham High School in the North Bellmore Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District School District, Ptacek has remained devoted to giving back to children in the community. “I think I was always raised to give back,” she told the Herald. “Is it good for the community? Is it good for the environment? I’ve always been involved in community things — and my grandparents were a very big part of that.” In 2011, before Ptacek began donating to North Bellmore schools, she attempted to donate to a different drive. “There was a local charity doing a backpack drive,” she recounted. “They were just collecting, you know, special supplies, backpacks, and we had gone there for a couple years. One of the years, we walked in, the staff was just incredibly rude — and it hurt me, because I was so little. I thought I was doing a really good thing.” Afterward, Ptacek’s grandfather contacted Marie Testa, superintendent of North Bellmore schools. “He just said, ‘Can you guys use some backpacks? Can you guys use some school supplies? Do you need some school sup-
S
For BrEAKING NEWS go to liherald.com
plies for the kids?’” Ptacek recalled. “And she said, ‘Absolutely.’” Ptacek never look back. For the past 11 years, the district has graciously accepted her donations. Compiling all of them is a nearly year-long effort, she explained, and everything gets staged in her grandmother’s basement. While she and her grandmother do receive monetary donations from family and friends, and sometimes additional community groups like the Bellmore Lions, the effort to purchase and assemble all of the supplies is solely their own. They buy backpacks in a variety of colors and styles, so there’s something for everyone. They also pore over supply lists for every grade level, and stuff them with everything from crayons to calculators. “I’ve watched this young lady grow up,” Testa said. “Every September, end of August, I receive a phone call from Miss Abigail, as a I call her, and her grandmother, Sue, who reach out to me and say, ‘It’s backpack time.’ She makes me want to be a better person.” Earlier this school year, the district received 54 backpacks
Continued on page 2
Courtesy North Bellmore School District
Abigail Ptacek, who has donated 600 backpacks over the past decade to students in the North Bellmore School District, is the Herald's Person of the Year.