_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
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Vol. 30 No. 12
MARCH 16 - 22, 2023
$1.00
‘Quick response’ is how he rolls Lynbrook firefighter comes home after being deployed in Qatar By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
No rescue call is too small for firefighter Andrew Gonzalez, who responded to a call immediately after coming home from a 10-month deployment in Qatar. Gonzalez, a U.S. Army Specialist, was celebrated upon his return by friends, family, and co-workers on Feb. 11. The warm embrace by the community made him happy to be home again. And within 20 minutes of being home, Gonzalez, along with his fellow fire-
fighters, went straight to a call. “One of my favorite parts about coming home was being able to respond to a call with the guys again,” Gonzalez said. “It felt really good to be home again after 10 months.” Lynbrook Fire Department Chief Christopher Kelly was glad to have Gonzalez back home. “The department is very grateful for firefighter Andrew Gonzalez’s safe return and commend him in his service to our great country,” Kelly said. Capt. Brian Brown, of the Fire Truck Company, helped
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ANdREw GoNzAlEz MAkEs a surprise return home to his family Feb. 11 after being deployed in Qatar.
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*HW 5HVXOWV 6LJQ 8S 7RGD\ Kiwanians host effort to help Mended Little Hearts Service club, foundation strike up ‘beautiful, collaborative relationship’ 5'at March 10 fundraiser $&7 12: Ɯ '($'/,1( $35,/ By BEN FIEBERT
bfiebert@liherald.com
After being introduced to the Mended Little Hearts foundation a few months ago, Sue Burgher, president of the Lynbrook Kiwanis, organized an event that touched the hearts of countless children. A March 10 fundraising event at the Tally-Ho Engine Co. 3, hosted by the Lynbrook Kiwanis, had about 100 people in attendance to raise money for Mended Little Hearts. With a full table of 10 costing $360 and general admission tickets of $40, the club was able to substantially help the foundation.
“The charity connects people who were born with heart problems,” Kiwanis Vice President Scott Hastings said. “So it’s a community of people with heart defects and their families who can connect with each other, learn from each other, and become resources for each other.” The partnership between Kiwanis and Mended Little Hearts looks like it will thrive in the future. “We had a great attendance,” Hastings said. “We had the Lynbrook Mayor there, the Lynbrook village trustees attended, we had members from local clubs, and the Lynbrook High School Key Club was there with a bunch of
members. With food donated from local restaurants and a DJ playing music throughout the event.” Hastings described how Kiwanis has a similar mission as the Mended Little Hearts foundation. “Kiwanis in general is a charity that focuses on children in the community,” he said. “And the Mended Little Hearts foundation is specifically focused on children, so we thought it would be a great cause to fundraise for.” According to Hastings, the goal of this event was to create community awareness for Mended Little Hearts. “I definitely think we met the goal as we were able to help out the local chapter of Mended Little Hearts,” he said. “If any-
thing, I think we exceeded our goal as we had great attendance and great support from the community.” Due to the success of this event, Hastings is hoping it turns into an annual tradition. “Because everyone had a great time, this would be a great type of event to have annually,” he said. “It would be great to build up more awareness for the foundation and continue to raise money for them.” Shannan Pearsall, Lead Coordinator for Mended Little Hearts of Long Island, spoke at the event. “She told us about the organization at the fundraiser,” Hastings said. “She was there with her son Aidan Continued on page 6