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DECEMBER 28, 2023 - JANUARY 3, 2024
Vol. 26 No. 1
HERALD PERSONS oF THE YEAR
FEnol laRock, antonio MaRcEllo, cHRistiano MaRcEllo
How three 20-somethings make Elmont better What’s INSIDE
Elmont-UBS Arena train is up and running Page 11
Elmont 5K raises money to fight hunger locally Page 16
Community honors troops at Veterans Day parade Page 19
By Nicole Wagner
“Together, we can.” That’s the motto for Christiano Marcello, Antonio Marcello and Fenol LaRock, who at 21, are already showing they can as executive directors of the Elmont-based nonprofit Universal Interactions. And it’s because they can — and their efforts to help others do the same — that all three are the Franklin Square/Elmont Herald Persons of the Year. It all started during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. LaRock and the Marcello twins had just graduated from Elmont Memorial High School, ready to start their lives out in the real world. But they also couldn’t ignore t’s about what was happening around them. Everyone was isolated in their own what you do homes, but they knew they could bring here on earth the community together again, no matter the age or culture of any given before you individual. leave. “Elmont was a vibrant place when we were younger, and there was always something to do, something happening,” AntonIo MArcello Christiano said. “As the years went on, executive director, things started slowing down a little bit Universal Interactions — especially after the pandemic when we graduated.” With that, Universal Interactions was born. And since then, it’s hosted myriad events for the Elmont community from basketball tournaments, to back-to-school drives, to Thanksgiving dinner, and even a Christmas celebration. The three consider themselves lucky to be able to give back to the community that raised them. “We honestly feel like this was our calling,” Christiano said. “Something tells us that we’ve got to do it.” Fenol was especially moved by their ability to help students and families with a back-to-school drive. “I didn’t understand how much people really didn’t have supplies to go to school,” he said. “It was really emotional for me because my parents were always able to get me supplies for school.” Having parents come up to him with tears in their eyes to thank him for providing school supplies for their children is something Fenol will never forget. “Seeing that we can help their kids have supplies, where they
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can be prepared, and not see anybody else asking for a pencil — actually having their own supplies to go to school and (be) able to learn, compared to somebody else,” Fenol said. “It was really breathtaking for me.” Fenol, Antonio and Christiano consider their participation in Men of Elmont — a mentorship program established in 2016 that teaches boys core leadership values — an inspiration for their current venture. “That program was a big help to lead into our foundation and what we’re doing now,” Fenol said. Noah Burroughs, a Hempstead village trustee, has seen the determination and passion of the three in and around Elmont. He helped them put together their first 3-on-3 basketball tournament in July 2022. “I’ve never met three young men — so young as those three are — with the commitment to serving the community the way they have,” Burroughs said. “That’s one of the reasons why I’ve decided to stand up and help them.” When they’re not putting together community events, the three work as financial consultants at Allied Capital Services in East Meadow. But in this community, Fenol and the Marcello twins are aiming larger with the hopes of building a community center in Elmont. Their goal is to purchase land to build such a center by 2026. To accomplish this, the three have turned to the community
Continued on page 2 Nicole Wagner/Herald
Christiano Marcello, Fenol LaRock and Antonio Marcello aim to bring the Elmont community together throughout the year with events like basketball tournaments, a back-to-school drive, Thanksgiving dinner, and a Christmas celebration. Their aspiration is to build a community center in Elmont for residents to have a place to gather recreationally. Those efforts have made them the Franklin Square/ Elmont Herald Persons of the Year.