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body / mind / fitness
March 24, 2022
HERALD Your Health
o’side chamber, a comeback story
Inside
Page 3
Vision & Hearing $1.00
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Vol. 57 No. 12
MARCH 17 - 23, 2022
18/21 itc FG Demi Condensed Page xx
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your HEALTH
Oceanside/island park
1166409
Bethany House Fashion Show comes back By ToM CARRozzA tcarrozza@liherald.com
Courtesy Anna Forte
UkRAiNe-BoRN ANNA FoRTe, 37, put the word out on her efforts, and the Oceanside community came out with full support, helping to purchase supplies.
O’Side rallies to aid Ukraine By kepHeRD DANiel kdaniel@liherald.com
Anna Forte has been through a whirlwind of emotions as Russian forces have invaded her home country of Ukraine, but the Oceanside reisdent is taking solace in knowing that members of her community have been doing all they can to help Ukraine. The 37-year-old Forte was born in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv when Ukraine was still a part of the Soviet Union and a communist regime. She moved to the United States two weeks before her eighth birthday. Because she had so many childhood memories of her home country, Forte said, Russia’s invasion hit her on a personal level.
“It’s been hard to watch the news and see images of my hometown,” she said. “I have my family trying to get out. My family has friends who are currently fighting every day, doing the best they can.” Forte has three family members — an aunt, uncle and cousin — still in Ukraine and more than 50 friends trying to flee the country. “They were part of my childhood,” she said. Forte has been in constant communication with her family and friends, while keeping track of the global news. “I try to watch as much as I can handle, but I can’t watch it at night because I just can’t sleep and then I get nightmares,” she said. “When they showed Kyiv on the news, it was hard because I went Continued on page 10
The Baldwin-based women’s home Bethany House sold out its 19th annual Fashion Show March 9 at the Rockville Links Club in neighboring Rockville Centre. After two years away because of the pandemic, the fundraising event returned to much fanfare. Bloomingdale’s partnered with Bethany House, providing models with several outfits each to show off as they strutted down a runway in the club’s dining room. Miss New York USA 2021 Briana Siaca, a Long Island native, warmed up the runway for the models, Douglas most of whom were Rockville Centre residents. Before the main event, attendees chose from among dozens of raffle baskets, with items like handbags, wallets, beauty products and wine kits, to bid on. Proceeds from the event will be directed to continuing Bethany House’s mission of providing housing for women in Nassau County who are struggling — those who are homeless, and
women with children who are in need of emergency shelter. The organization has homes in Baldwin, Bellmore and Roosevelt. The attendees also took part in a mystery raffle, which has become a staple of recent Bethany House fashion shows. The boxed items were donated by Bethany House supporters, and were valued at between $5 and $25, and there was a grand prize box as well. After dinner was served, those who had purchased boxes ripped open the black wrapping paper to find out what they had received. Catherine Casella, a volunteer for Bethany House, has run the mystery box raffle since 2017. o’Dell This year there were 300 boxes, up from 175 in the last pre-pandemic show, in 2019, and Casella wrapped all of them. “I think it’s wonderful,” she said of the growth of the raffle. “We have a very good donating community — from boxes to tissue paper to other items — and if I don’t use them, I hand them over to Jane” — Bethany House Volunteer Coordinator Jane McCabe — Continued on page 11