Community events tonight and ongoing

Residents are encouraged between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. to share their ideas for rebuilding. There will be a short presentation at 6:15 p.m. on the community reconstruction planning committee’s work.

The New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program was established to provide rebuilding assistance to areas severely damaged by superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. For more information, visit stormrecovery.ny.gov or email info@stormrecovery.ny.gov.
— NICHOLAS SPANGLER

Bishop William Murphy has asked for the special collection at all Masses on Saturday and Sunday. The diocese will work with The Holy See and entities such as Catholic Relief Services to ensure funds are dispersed to areas of greatest need, the diocese said in a statement.

Bishop Murphy also advanced money to the Church in the Philippines for relief work, the diocese said.

“We also keep in our prayers people of our own diocese who are concerned for family in the Philippines and in the surrounding areas,” Murphy said. “I ask the people of God on Long Island to pray for the victims. I also ask for their generosity in sharing God’s gifts with those in need as a result of this tragic event.”

Contributors to the Diocese of Rockville Centre’s Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund are asked to contact their local parish or send donations to the Chancellor’s Office, Diocese of Rockville Centre, P.O. Box 9023, Rockville Centre, NY 11571-9023.

Checks should be made out to the Diocese of Rockville Centre. “Philippines Collection” should be written in the memo section of the check.

For more information, call 516-678-5800, ext. 583 or email chancellor@drvc.org. — BART JONES

The event is being sponsored by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office and state Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick). The New York State Safe Child Cards include the following information: name, date of birth, gender, height, weight, hair color, eye color and fingerprint images of both index fingers.

The cards will be printed and processed on site, and parents will be able to take the cards home with them. Parents will also have the option to share the information on the card with the state Division of Criminal Justice’s Amber Alert and Missing Child Alert program.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Amityville Library.

Those seeking more information can call Fuschillo’s office at 516-882-0630.
— DENISE M. BONILLA

The session is hosted by the Long Island GLBT Network and is designed to provide information to business owners who are uninsured.

David Kilmnick, CEO of the Network, said in a statement that the seminar will guide business owners in “how the Affordable Care Act affects them,” in addition to screening for eligibility, identifying their most affordable choices and enrolling them in plans.

The initiative is part of the group’s Project HELM — Health Enrollment for the LGBT Marketplace — for which it received a 18-month grant from the New York State Health Foundation.

The session begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the group’s Garden City location, 400 Garden City Plaza, Suite 110.

To reserve a spot at the seminar, contact the agency at 516-323-0011 or visit www.liglbtnetwork.org.
— JENNIFER BARRIOS