________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Country fair in Franklin Square
Carey football in semifinals
learning about Veterans Day
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Vol. 25 No. 47
NoVEMBER 16 - 22, 2023
$1.00
Honoring veterans in Elmont By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
Nicole Wagner/ Herald
Pete Busch and Kevin Tirman fired the honorary rifle volley at the end of the ceremony hosted on Veterans Day last weekend in Elmont.
Students from the Elmont school district’s six elementary schools, local elected officials, the Girl and Boy Scouts, and others joined members of the Elmont American Legion Post 1033 in the Veterans Day Parade to express thanks to those who served their country. Neighbors gathered at the American Legion post on Hill Avenue in Elmont as the march began at 10:45 a.m. Saturday. Participants marched from Post 1033 to Hempstead Avenue toward Veterans Square located at Covert Avenue and Hempstead Turnpike where a Veterans Day ceremony started at 11 ConTinuED on PagE 10
Nonprofits share the holiday spirit to help feed local families By NIColE WAGNER nwagner@liherald.com
In the spirit of giving and sharing thanks with loved ones, nonprofit groups in Elmont hope to lend a helping hand this holiday season by eliminating the stress of families hoping to buy a meal. One such group, Universal Interactions, founded by brothers Christiano Marcello and Antonio Marcello with Fenol LaRock, has hosted events throughout the community to promote unity since 2022. From community basketball tournaments, to toy drives, food drives and back-to-school events, the
three Elmont Memorial High School Class of 2020 alumni have made it their mission to embrace together ness in Elmont. “We feel like the best event to bring our mission about — I feel like Thanksgiving is all about togetherness and bringing people together,” Christiano Marcello, executive director of Universal Interactions, said. “So, we decided that having a Thanksgiving dinner for the community would be the best event for our nonprofit to bring the community together.” The dinner will be held in the high school’s gymnasium on Nov. 18, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.,
and Christiano Marcello said that the school’s Spartan Club helped secure the venue. This marks the first time that Universal Interactions will host a Thanksgiving dinner in the Elmont community. Guggins Café of Elmont will cater the event, offering traditional Thanksgiving foods, with vegetarian options available, Christiano Marcello said. In addition, a DJ will play music at the dinner, and bands from the high school have been invited to perform. Residents are welcome to RSVP for the dinner at ElmontCommunityCenter.org. The event has a maximum capacity
of 300 people. Meera Empower ment, an Elmont nonprofit that empowers the youth to get involved, is co-sponsoring the event. About 30 volunteers, including high school students, parents and other community members, will help out during the Thanksgiving dinner. The Marcellos, LaRock and other volunteers have gone door-to-
door to pass out 3,000 invitations and spread the word about the dinner. “It took about three months preparing,” Christiano Marcello said. “Securing a location was the hardest part, but we are thankful to the Spartan Club for helping us get the location.” He expressed hope that the ConTinuED on PagE 7