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HERALD Long Island Choice Awards Winners Guide
Inside
VoL. 23 No. 17
Students honored at breakfast
Central Nassau starts its season
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APRIL 20 - 26, 2023
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Fire departments turn up the heat on recruitment by JoRdAN VALLoNE, mALLoRY WILSoN and mICHAEL mALASzCzYK of the Herald
Tim Baker/Herald
HAmzA AbduLLAH, 5, got a taste of lacrosse at the free clinic hosted by East Meadow’s Nassau County Police Activity League last Friday.
Strengthening community pride by teaching lacrosse by mALLoRY WILSoN mwilson@liherald.com
When Josh Tobon took over East Meadow’s Nassau C o u n t y Po l i c e A c t iv i t y League boys’ lacrosse program in 2021, he thought it could use a reboot. He had already been coaching for two years when he was asked if he wanted to be the director, and since he had some ideas, Tobon decided to go for it. Now, two years later, the program is seeing more than tri-
ple the number of boys signing up than it did before his tenure. “It’s been a huge undertaking and it takes a village,” Tobon said. “I wanted to create an environment where, regardless of ethnicity, culture, or whatever, everyone feels included and has a place and has fun.” PAL typically serves kids in grades one through six, with seasons running from April to May for first- and second-graders and from March
through May for third grade and up. While the registration for East Meadow’s girls’ PAL lacrosse has been consistently strong, the boys’ numbers had been waning. “I just don’t think there was a culture, and there wasn’t enough connection between PAL and Clarke and East Meadow,” Tobon said, referring to the high schools. “There wasn’t enough promoContinued on page 10
Volunteer fire departments are constantly faced with the challenge of recruiting new firefighters and emergency medical technicians — as call volume increases and the number of active members decreases. This weekend, fire departments in the Sixth Battalion — which includes Bellmore, East Meadow, Levittown, Massapequa, Merrick, North Bellmore, North Massapequa, North Merrick, Seaford and Wantagh — will open their doors for the 14th annual RecruitNY campaign. At open houses scattered throughout the area on April 22 and 23, those interested in joining departments will have the opportunity to speak with active volunteers, ask questions and lear n about the benefits of becoming a firefighter or EMT. The Firefighters Association of New York estimates that there are 20,000 fewer volunteer firefighters now than there were 20 years ago. Calls are becoming increasingly more varied, as volunteers are called for medical emergencies, flooded basements, downed power lines and car acci-
EmFd recruitment Head down to any of the following EMFD locations on April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Fire Headquarters, 197 East Meadow Ave. Station #1, 346 East Meadow Ave., near Franklin Avenue Station #2, 590 East Meadow Ave., and Park Avenue Station #3, 350 North Newbridge Rd., and Salisbury Park Drive Station #4, 3 Bob Reed Lane and Carman Avenue, Westbury (Salisbury) dents as well as fires, the association said. Members of the Sixth Battalion are close-knit, according to Chairman Peter Cheswick, the immediate past chief of the East Meadow Fire Department. They meet monthly to discuss business, which also includes ways to recruit new members to their Continued on page 4