Fourteen Setauket Elementary School students bravely shed their locks this April during St. Baldrick’s events, charity fundraisers committed to support research for cures for childhood cancer.

During the event, the students volunteered with countless others from across the region to join the fight against childhood cancers by selflessly shaving their heads; an action meant to be symbolic as many cancer sufferers often experience hair loss during treatment.

The annual event, which began in 2000 in Manhattan, is held each March-April in locations around the nation. To date, nearly $26.7 million has been raised for the cause in 2016 alone.
The Three Village School District commends the following students for their charitable actions:

George Austin, grade 4
Brandan Buncke, grade 5
Jacob Carioscia, grade 3
Sean Davey, grade 3
Charlie Giachetti, grade 5
Ben Gilday, grade 5
Jacob Henretta, grade 5
Michael Lascarides, grade 4
Zachary Mainhardt, grade 6
Will Marino, grade 5
Evan Prince, grade 4
Lucas Rathburn, grade 5
Jacob Rosenzweig, grade 5
Austin Vero, grade 5

Photo Caption: Fourteen Setauket Elementary School students bravely shed their locks this April during St. Baldrick’s events.

Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District

It was a dream come true for an international student who chose to spend a day in an American high school as part of her Make-A-Wish request.

Esley Kok of the Netherlands, who recently battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was treated like a celebrity as she rode the bus to Sanford H. Calhoun High School with former Make-A-Wish recipient and current Calhoun student, Holden Smith. She then shadowed senior Meghan Corona as the pair attended classes, took in some extra curriculars and even attempted cheerleading.

Corona, who was granted her own Make-A-Wish in 2013 of meeting the cast of the popular television show, “Glee,” battled a similar disease and said it was easy to bond with Kok.

“I volunteer for Relay for Life and have been involved with Make-A-Wish before, so I was eager to help out with this,” Corona said.

During Michael Goldberg’s Sculpture 4 class, Kok passed out Dutch delicacies, as students gathered around her, eager to learn more about her culture and education and even a foreign language lesson.

“It’s a whole other world back home, as we have smaller schools,” Kok said. “I really wanted to explore American classrooms and see some sports.”

Goldberg said Calhoun is the ideal setting for this because “there’s so much here for the kids to bring people together.”

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions. This fulfillment was a joint effort between Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Make-A-Wish Netherlands.

Photo Caption:
Michael Goldberg instructed students in his Sculpture 4 class on how to cast a mold.

Photo courtesy of Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Old Westbury, N.Y. – Along with excelling on the fields of play and in the classroom, the NYIT athletic department has also had several teams join together to complete many hours of community service over the past couple of months.

The most recent event held on campus was in honor of April as Autism Awareness Month. Several off-campus groups as well as student from the on-campus NYIT Vocational Independence Program (VIP) came out for a day of activities concluding with the NYIT Baseball game against St. John’s. Despite a rainy start, the participants had the chance to interact with our student-athletes indoors before heading out to join the baseball program for the national anthem as well as throw out a first pitch, or two.

Last week, the NYIT women’s soccer team visited the Almost Home Animal Adoption & Rescue, in Bohemia, N.Y.. They are a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping homeless, abused, and neglected animals. Their outreach programs are responsible for keeping animals healthy despite the conditions they may live in. The team was able to give the animals some much needed love and affection by playing, walking, and even bathing them. Having the opportunity to volunteer with Almost Home Animal Rescue and Adoption was an eye opening experiences that impacted our student athletes immensely.

“Community service plays a huge role in our athletes lives at NYIT,” said newly named Head Coach Rachel Reeves. “As coaches, I think its our responsibility to engage our student athletes and expose them to different areas in our community that may need a helping hand. Not only is it great to give back to those in need, its great to see the impact that giving back has on our students.”
Additionally, the NYIT men’s soccer team spent a morning creating basket filled with Easter goodies to be distributed to families in need during the Easter holiday. The Bears were in charge of putting together the baskets, including the candy and toys inside as well as wrapping the basket to be delivered.

Finally, the Elite 8 NYIT volleyball team spent an afternoon at the Brookville Center for Children’s services last weej, donating their time to do activities with the students. Members of the team were in charge of setting up the space with a balance beam, parachute games and an obstacle course and spending time with the students.

About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has more than 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Following a three-week spare change collection drive, the Peer Leaders at Academy Street Elementary School in the Bayport-Blue Point School District collected nearly $205 for the Friends of Karen charity organization.

The Peer Leaders proudly made a presentation to the charity during their recent student of the month program, giving special thanks to all of the students, faculty and staff that contributed to its tremendous success. Friends of Karen provides much needed support to critically ill children and their families.

Photo Caption: Academy Street Elementary School Peer Leaders are pictured here with adviser Nicole Greco and the check they presented to the charity Friends of Karen.

Photo courtesy of the the Bayport-Blue Point School District

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Students in the East Islip Middle School Builders Club, which includes student athletes, is known for their service to veterans and military members, were recently asked to spearhead a new meal program for Long Island veterans attending Project 9 Line classes in Amityville. The Builders Club members enthusiastically agreed, and along with their families, successfully prepared meals for local veterans twice a week during February and March.

The students – joined in the effort by former club members like high school freshman Brian McCarthy, who remain in touch with the club – helped coordinate volunteers who cooked or delivered the meals. Also participating were East Islip graduates like Gina Tortelli, district staff and local veterans’ family members such as Denise Gallo, the mother of deployed Long Islander Justin Gallo.

“Our veterans have given so much for us and East Islip’s support means that their sacrifices will not be forgotten,” said Project 9 Line Patrick Donohue.

IMG_6468, IMG_6472: East Islip Middle School Builders Club students joined with older students, graduates, district staff and family members in the community to prepare and deliver meals to Long Island veterans attending Project 9 Line classes in Amityville.

Photos courtesy of the East Islip School District