Bay Shore student gives back to community
Jonathan Foster, a junior at Bay Shore High School, has participated in a wide range of community service efforts. Credit: Marilyn Solano
A Bay Shore High School student with a love for volunteering has participated in community service efforts ranging from food drives to clothing collections.
Jonathan Foster, a junior, has accumulated a long list of volunteer opportunities in recent years through his own school and the Brentwood School District, where his mother Marilyn is employed as a social worker.
Last summer, Foster volunteered with Brentwood's Summer Bridge Program, which was a weeklong experience designed to help orient freshman to the requirements and responsibilities of high school.
He also volunteered during the Family Service League Community School's 2019 Talent Show in Brentwood, where his tasks included helping set up the stage and maintain the order of performers.
"I just like being able to give back to the community," Foster, 16, said. "My mom has set a good example for me."
Foster's other involvements include reading books to local children and assisting with their homework assignments through Bay Shore's Interact Club, being involved with the Environmental Club, and playing saxophone in the school's jazz band and symphonic band. He is also a member of the cross country and track teams.
In addition, Foster served as a youth counselor last summer for the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk Inc. In that position, he was the only employee who was younger than the youth he was supervising, the council said.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
