In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the 80 members of the New Hyde Park Memorial High School’s Key Club more than lived up to mission to help others with a campaign to collect donations to aid Long Island residents in need.
The Key Club raised awareness among their fellow high school students when the school reopened the week after the storm with public announcements and posters requesting donations to be brought to the school’s main office. What followed was a wave of donations in the form of food, clothing, baby supplies, batteries and cleaning supplies.
“We’re pretty proud of our school in helping us help other people ,” said New Hyde Park Memorial senior Justin Rezin, who is co-president of the school’s Key Club.
Senior Gina Marrano, the Key Club’s other co-president of Key Club, said club members filled baskets with blankets, food, cleaning supplies and toiletries for teachers at the school who had in some cases lost their homes.
“Some are staying in a hotel. Some are staying in their homes without heat and electricity,” said Key Club faculty advisor Lisa Bocchino.
Clothes collected for general distribution were brought to the Vincent De Paul Society. Donations were also brought by the students to St. Anthony’s Church in Oceanside and locations in Long Beach, Breezy Point and the Rockaways.
“It hits close to home because we knew a lot of people who lost their homes,” Marrano said.
Rezin said he has an uncle with a newborn baby who lives in Long Beach.
In the first two weeks after the storm, Bocchino estimated the Key Club collected 40 or 50 boxes of supplies including “tons of clothing” from their fellow students.
“With the relief efforts and the drive we had, everybody stepped up. It was amazing how many bags of blankets and toiletries and baby food and diapers people brought it,” she said.
On the last weekend in November, the Key Club collected $5 from everyone attending a Friday night varsity basketball game, which was preceded by a faculty basketball game. Students also brought donations to the game and the Key Club also held a raffle and succeeded in raising $2,100 from the event.
Playthings being collected in an annual toy drive that began before Thanksgiving will be divided between county special services and youngsters in areas disrupted by the storm, Bocchino said.
The Key Club also conducted its annual Thanksgiving food drive, with donations contributed to Island Harvest. And it is planning its contributions for 10 families selected by the Nassau County Department of Social Services for its annual holiday Adopt-A-Family drive.
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
