Neighbors caring, and lighting up our lives
Vincent, Icart, 15, left, with his family: dad Chris; brother Joseph, 12; mom Joann; and brothers Chris, 18, and Nicholas, 17, in front of their garage at their Masspequa home. (Dec. 24 2013) Credit: Johnny Milano
Dear Readers:
As 2013 comes to a close, we want to wish you a happy and successful holiday season and new year. Now is the time to squeeze in what's left of the season by viewing the holiday light displays across Long Island recently featured in LI Life, and to encourage you to read today's Volunteer Nation installment and the series, which will continue in 2014 and feature more Long Island volunteer efforts.
Vincent Icart is the master of light in charge of his family's Massapequa Park display. At 15, he's getting an early start on his parents' decorating tradition. See some of his handiwork here, and stop by 12 Pompano Lane to see the full display. For a list of holiday light displays to visit across Long Island, go to newsday.com/ lilife.
In January, we launched the Volunteer Nation series with a profile on First Book Long Island, a nonprofit that gives children from low-income families their own books so that they can improve their literacy and develop a lifelong interest in reading. But nonprofits aren't the only source of committed volunteers, as today's final series profile shows. Henry Schein, the medical products distributor based in Melville, promotes a work culture with a heavy emphasis on volunteering. As the series continues in 2014, it will feature more businesses whose definition of a good corporate citizen means giving back to the communities they serve.
If the series inspires you to join the volunteer effort, the Long Island Volunteer Center, in Hempstead, will be there to help.
"The series has already made possible the ability of Long Islanders to increase their capacity to give," said Diana O'Neill, the center's executive director. "2013 was an unprecedented year for volunteerism on Long Island. The storm [superstorm Sandy] that brought us to our collective knees showed how neighbors caring for one another was the lift needed to build community and ensure resiliency. 2014 will bring more chances for those who want to engage in community service to find a good fit for their particular interests and skill sets."
In with the new.
Tracy M. Brown,
LI Life editor
