______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD Ducks seek comeback
Voter registration sparks concerns
County building rededicated
Page 6
Page 8
Page 12
VOL. 35 NO. 30
JULY 18 - 24, 2024
$1.00
Grace United Methodist has a new pastor By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
The Rev. Eumin Kim has “I’ve always had to live my been named the new pastor of life predominantly in the conG r a c e U n i t e d M e t h o d i s t text of the outsider looking in,” Church. said Kim. When Kim learned he would He felt that tension in school be ministering to a in Ohio as the only c o n g re g at i o n a s Asian kid in class, ethnically diverse taunted by classas the village mates. That tension where they live, he fo r h i m b e c a m e felt “excited,” if more dangerous, not completely in more serious as a his element. United Methodist Navigating new missionary in social situations as Kazakhstan, a Musthe odd man out, lim-majority counsettling into unfatry. miliar places, “I was there to comes easy to Kim. help churches grow T h e t w i s t s a n d EUmIN KIm and establish a tur ns of his life Pastor, United Methodist have kept him on Grace United presence in a part the move and on of the world where Methodist Church friendly terms with only a sliver of the change. A roving population were pastor’s son, Kim’s idea of Protestant Christian,” said home was never fixed. His Kim. “There was a risk of youth was spent shuffling from being arrested or deported one church community to the every single day, and there were next, living among different certain run-ins that I had with ethnic and cultural populations the police and the migration from the Midwest to the North- police. Yeah, so it wasn’t your east. Most who surrounded him normal sort of ministry experidid not look like him or share ence.” his cultural Korean roots. COntinued On paGe 19
I
Courtesy Mary Olshwitz
Joey Olshwitz, 16, his mother, Mary, and his 14-year-old sister, Gianna, are grateful for the outpouring of support the community has shown.
Teen son of LIJ Valley Stream therapist is struck by car By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
The Island Park community is rallying behind resident Mary Olshwitz, a respiratory therapist at Northwell Health-LIJ Valley Stream, after her 16-year-old son Joey suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Long Beach on July 2. Police said Joey was riding his bike to his friend’s house from his home in Island Park when just before 7:30 p.m. he was struck by a car at the intersection of Long Beach Blvdd and East Beach Street. Doctors said the teenager suffered severe injuries, including a fractured skull, whiplash and multiple head wounds. The driver remained on the scene follow-
ing the accident. The event was deemed an accident and no charges were filed Joey was immediately rushed to Mount Sinai South Nassau but was quickly transferred to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for advanced care. Mary Olshwitz, 47, has taken a threemonth leave of absence from her job to help care for her son. She is also a single mother who attends Molloy University to earn her dual MBA in healthcare administration and marketing. In addition, she has a 14-year-old daughter, Gianna, who is said to be devastated by everything that’s happening. Doctors told Olshwitz that Joey, who is in a cervical collar due to the severe whiplash, is recovering faster than expected. Despite the severity of his injuries, Joey has shown COntinued On paGe 10
A lifetime of navigating through differences in good faith
’ve always had to live my life predominantly in the context of the outsider looking in.