_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD A Lego Christmas in Island Park
I.P. seniors as reading partners
A model manager gets her shine
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VoL. 58 No. 51
DECEMBER 14 - 20, 2023
$1.00
20 years of Trees for Troops DHL and Dees’ Nursery celebrate holiday tradition By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Ross Farber/Herald
Light amid the darkness Rabbi Levi Gurkov of the Chabad of Oceanside lit the menorah on the Schoolhouse Green on Dec. 7. More photos, Page 3.
A mural full of appreciation Eagle Scout project beautifies Oceanside Park By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Eagle Scouts must display the character traits and skills that make them well-rounded contributors to their communities, and 14-year-old Kilian McNichol created an Eagle Scout project that reflected his and his family’s love of travel — and their love of their hometown of Oceanside. Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and Councilwoman Laura Ryder honored Kilian, a freshman at Oceanside High School, for completing his project, a mural now on display in Oceanside Park. Kilian got the project approved
by the town’s parks and recreation commissioner, Frank Zangla, who helped pick out the perfect spot in the park, the wall behind the decorative boat beside the entrance to the town pool. “Kilian McNichol represents the very best in scouting, and I applaud his diligence in completing his Eagle Scout project as a freshman,” Clavin said in a statement. “Oceanside Park is the perfect location for Kilian’s postcard mural, and we are grateful for his efforts in celebrating what makes Oceanside great.” Kilian has been a scout for 10 years. He joined Cub Scouts in kindergarten, and has done his share of volunteering for the town. He has Continued on page 7
A two-decade-old holiday tradition of donating Christmas trees to U.S. troops stationed abroad was celebrated once again in Oceanside on Dec. 4. Gold Star families, students and Girl Scouts gathered as more than 100 onlookers lined Atlantic Avenue, watching a motorcade start to make its way from Dees’ Nursery to Kennedy Air por t, where trees donated by the business were loaded onto planes to be distributed to the troops. Gold Star families are those that have lost loved ones serving in the military. The event marked the 20th straight year that Dees’ and international courier service DHL have sent Trees to Troops overseas as part of Operation Holiday Cheer. Trees for Troops started in 2004 when a woman whose son was a soldier stationed in Iraq asked the nursery’s owner, Tom DiDominica Sr., if he could send her son a tree. DiDominica agreed, but needed help to ship it, and mentioned his mission to Jim Adelis, who contacted DHL Express. Adelis then re a ch e d o u t t o C at h e r i n e
O’Reilly, manager of commercial air and networking routing for DHL, who put the plan into motion. Adelis died in April of 2021, at age 67. “Thank you to the DHL and the Dees family, especially Catherine O’Reilly, from the angel who ear nestly works behind the scenes,” Lucy Adelis, Jim’s widow, said. “If Jim was here today, he would say, ‘It’s not about me, it’s about putting a smile on all our brave men and women serving far away from their families to keep ours safe.” In honor of the 20th anniversary of Trees for Troops, the Jim Adelis Good Samaritan Award Scholarship was presented to five Nassau County high school seniors. These students have demonstrated core values including integrity and selflessness, through their acts of kindness and serving their community. Port Authority Police Lt. Danny Carbonaro was also a part of the first effort 20 years ago. A Vietnam veteran, Carbonaro reflected on the last 20 years of progress made by Trees for Troops. “The first year of this event, we had three Port Authority Continued on page 17