Way to Go! Anthony Morano, Massapequa
Anthony Morano, a senior at Massapequa High School the Long Island High School for the Arts, has turned his passion for Halloween into a service project. Credit: Nassau BOCES
A Massapequa Park teenager’s idea to raise money for charities is not for the faint of heart.
Anthony Morano, a senior at Massapequa High School and a theater student at Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset, has brought in a total of $10,000 during the past four years through a haunted house each October at his family’s home.
About $3,000 in donations last fall went to Long Island High School for the Arts. In past years, the money has benefited nonprofits such as Long Island Cares in Hauppauge and Autism Speaks.
Morano recently was recognized for his efforts: He is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award and is one of the state’s distinguished finalists in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program.
“This is really meaningful to me,” said Morano, 18. “I’ve always had a passion for Halloween, and I also love to act.”
The haunted house, called “Cemetery of Lost Souls,” has everything from a clown house to a mad scientist laboratory, with up to 35 volunteers as actors. Visitors have increased from 100 people a night in 2012 to 800 a night for October’s three-day event.
Morano is vice president of his school’s Drama Club and is in the National Honor Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions Club and Safe Halloween program.
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.
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