Way to Go: Bellport student has passion for volunteering
Bellport High School student Sean Skelly, second from right, with South Country School District Superintendent Joseph Giani, left, Board of Education President Cheryl Felice and Bellport High School Principal Timothy Hogan, was honored for his volunteerism. Credit: South Country School District
A Bellport High School student with a passion for community service has volunteered for everything from local town cleanups to helping move furniture for those in need.
Sean Skelly, a junior, is also a probationary firefighter for the Hagerman Fire Department in East Patchogue and a former junior firefighter in its Explorer Program. He has assisted with snow removal around fire hydrants and at the homes of senior citizens who are fire department members, as well as made holiday "elf visits" on a fire truck to entertain area children.
Most recently, Skelly received the Access to Better Learning Experience Award for his advocacy of the disabled community from Transformative Educational Development Services, a Coram-based nonprofit.
"It's about making a difference in the community," said Skelly, 17. "The community you grow up in has challenges, and you have to help change that."
Among Skelly's other community service activities are the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Angels of Long Island, a nonprofit for which his work includes loading and unloading trucks and moving and picking up furniture. He has also volunteered at the nonprofit's back-to-school drives and fall festivals.
In addition, Skelly has participated at Brookhaven Town Clean-Up Day and has worked at Woodside Nursery & Garden Center in Patchogue since 2013.
"He's a young man of character and does things because it's the right thing to do," said his school's social worker Lynette Murphy.
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.
