_______ Lynbrook/east rockaway ______
HERALD Also serving Bay Park
Titans beat G.C. for championship
Holiday events this weekend
Self-defense training for all
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Vol. 29 No. 49
DECEMBER 1 - 7, 2022
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‘Bethany’s gift to the community’ Congregational Church hosts annual Thanksgiving dinner By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
Courtesy Bethany Congregational Church
ATTENDEES AT BETHANy Congregational Church’s 2019 Thanksgiving dinner. As was the case then, participants enjoyed this year’s holiday meal in person.
The Bethany Congregational Church reopened its doors after three years for its free Thanksgiving dinner. Barbara Herrmann and her husband, Doug Herrmann, hosted this year’s Thanksgiving meal at 100 Main St. in East Rockaway. During the pandemic, this annual sit-down meal wasn’t held, but delivery and takeout meals were prepared. This year marked the 12th year the Church hosted this event. Bethany Congregational
hosted its inaugural Thanksgiving dinner for the community in 2010 and continued to do so every year since for those who need a hot meal. This year, the Church provided people with options. Just like in 2019, local residents were invited to this meal. Pastor Mark Lukens said in a Facebook post, “No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here just as you are.” According to Herrmann, the energy this year at the event was very similar to pre-Covid. Continued on page 16
Toy drive mending countless tiny hearts on Long Island By BEN FIEBERT bfiebert@liherald.com
Lifelong Lynbrook resident, Shannan Pearsall, plays an instrumental role in collecting thousands of toys for children affected by heart conditions. This annual toy drive is hosted by the Mended Little Hearts foundation of Long Island. The Long Island chapter started in 2011 and has been hosting toy drives for the patients in the pediatric cardiology unit at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital every year since. Pearsall, the Group Coordinator for the Mended Little Hearts foundation, worked with Lyn-
brook mayor Alan Beach and recreational staffer Ginger Fuentes to increase toy donations this year. “We are very fortunate to have a great relationship with Mayor Beach,” Pearsall said. “And once he learned about the fact that we’ve been doing this drive every year, he said please share this information with Village Hall via local drop off.” After Pearsall talked with staffers at Village Hall, Beach placed a drop-off box. Fuentes also placed one at the recreational center. Pearsall didn’t expect anything less from the Lynbrook community as it’s a typical reac-
tion in Lynbrook where community members embrace something, such as the toy drive, and grow it even further. “We are so fortunate to have a community that says ‘hey, I may not know who you are, but you’re my neighbor and I see you sharing this drive and I’d love to support it’,” Pearsall said. For Pearsall, this foundation hits home. “My 14-year-old son had three open heart surgeries and three cardiac cauterizations at Columbia,” Pearsall said. She understands the impact that any gift can have on children who are in the hospitals during the holiday months. “His last surgery happened to
fall over the Easter holiday,” Pearsall said. “So we were in the hospital and it was hard, but someone came in the room and gave him a package of stickers.” Pearsall saw her son light up and that gesture made her realized the impact that foundations like Mended Little Hearts can have. Pearsall explained how gifts don’t have to be anything extrav-
agant or expensive. Just like the gift her son received, Pearsall emphasizes the importance of small, simple gifts. “Sometimes it’s just a small, little token that can make the difference between a bad day and a good day,” Pearsall said. Pearsall and other workers at the Mended Little Hearts foundaContinued on page 16