________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD harlem Players perform in Elmont
Community fun at Trunk or Treat
Carey girls are in the playoffs
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Vol. 24 No. 44
oCToBER 27 - NoVEMBER 2, 2022
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They’re women of distinction Eight award recipients recognized for work in the community By KEPhERD DaNiEl kdaniel@liherald.com
Courtesy Patricia McColley
PaTRiCia MCCollEy wiTh her husband, Richard Hall.
Patricia McColley is chamber’s Business Person of the Year
By KEPhERD DaNiEl kdaniel@liherald.com
T he F ranklin Square Chamber of Commerce has named chamber member Patricia McColley Business Person of the Year for her work with Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital. A five-person committee made up of chamber president Lisa DelliPizzi, previous honorees and chamber members selected McColley for the honor. The nominee must be
an active member of the Chamber and have made a significant contribution to the local economy or the welfare of the local community. “We felt that Patricia McColley was the most qualified member of the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce to receive this honor,” DelliPizzi said. “The integrity of this award is very important to me.” McColley star ted her career at Northwell Health in 2012 as the patient experience
manager for South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore. In 2016, she accepted a position as program manager on the Northwell corporate community relations team in Islip. In 2019, as a program manager for the central region, McColley was asked to help build relationships for LIJ Valley Stream and the communities it serves while also assisting the corporate team in leading larger corporate Continued on page 2
E i g h t i n d iv i d u a l s we re recently recognized with Women of Distinction awards in a ceremony held at the Franklin Square Public Library. The ceremony, now in its ninth year, was held in person for the first time since 2019. The event is usually held in March but was delayed due to Covid-19. The event recognized eight women who have displayed outstanding leadership, and highlighted the grass-roots work they have accomplished in Michaelle Solages’s 22nd Assembly District. This year’s honorees were Lynette Battle, Elizabeth Forbes, Althea Brown, Julie K. Eason, Karen Freire, Rose Nacincik, Karleen (Leveille) Robinson and Nancy Youngfert, each of whom has made a significant effort to create positive change in their communities. Brown, a native Jamaican who arrived in the United States with her two daughters, established the floral and event design company Still Blooming in 2021, as a response to local loss brought about by the pandemic. Eason is director of the respiratory therapy department at
University Hospital at Downstate in Brooklyn for the last 12 years and has nearly 30 years of experience in the field. She has spent the majority of her career working in underserved communities and has a passion for health equity. In June of 2021, Eason was recognized by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation as a champion of humanistic care for her work during the pandemic. Freire has been working at Key Food Valley Stream since 2012, and is in charge of customer service appreciation day, which she organizes to give back to her customers who support the store. Nacincik, a resident of Bellerose Terrace since 1978, joined the Bellerose Terrace Civic Association in 1982. She also joined the ladies auxiliary, where she later became vice president and then president. In addition, she has served her community as a teacher at the Floral Park-Bellerose School. Youngfert, a longtime resident of Franklin Square, was an original member and has served as treasurer of the Franklin Square Civic Association. She has also been an active member of the Franklin Square HistoriContinued on page 4