The Great Neck Rotary Club has utilized local businesses to help honor hospital employees who are on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus on an everyday basis.
More than 40 signs of support and gratitude for healthcare workers are scattered throughout Great Neck, thanks to one of the more altruistic clubs on the peninsula.
The club’s executive secretary, Roger Chizever, said he was grateful to spread the message of positivity and support for health care workers.
“We’re just glad to be in a position to put out constant reminders to the public of how appreciative we are of all the hard work local health care workers have done and continue to do,” Chizever said.
The lawn signs read, “Thank you to our essential workers & health care professionals” and have been placed outside hospitals, firehouses, and residential properties. Chizever said he utilized a local business, KC Graphics in Great Neck Plaza, to create and develop the signs.
The club, according to Chizever, has also been delivering pizza to families who are in need of provisions for the past few weeks. Chizever said the club, in partnership with local social workers, obtained the names of the families in need of food and ordered deliveries of more than 50 pizzas a week from Antonino’s on Northern Boulevard.
“The Rotary Club has a great relationship with the people at Antonino’s, and we thought this was a good idea to help families and local businesses in need of some help right now,” Chizever said. “Most of us could be in a good situation throughout this pandemic, but it’s important to help those who aren’t.”
David Steiner, the club’s correspondence secretary, said another project underway is an outreach program where members call senior citizens who are living alone during the pandemic.
Steiner said the project is being done with the help of Temple Beth-El, which provided the club with a list of names.
“The idea for this was to bring a little joy, comfort, and sense of community to people who are feeling isolated, anxious, or just alone throughout the pandemic,” Steiner said. “Some like to talk for a little bit, while others love to just chat for a long time. We’ve been doing that every week for the past few weeks.”
Steiner said the response from those the club calls has been very positive and people have expressed their appreciation for club members taking time out of their days to call.
“It shows what great things can happen when a community comes together and makes a collective difference,” Steiner said. “There are many throughout Great Neck that are very fortunate to live where we do and have the things we have. Not everyone is in that same situation.”
To learn more or to donate towards the Rotary Club’s efforts, visit their website at https://www.rotaryclubgreatneck.org/.
