Immediate Release Contact: David Chauvin
March 25, 2004 (516) 869-7794
North Hempstead Honors the
2004 Women's Roll of Honor
New Hyde Park - North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman and Town Clerk Michelle Schimel hosted the 2004 North Hempstead Women's Roll of Honor induction ceremony today at Clinton G. Martin Park in New Hyde Park. The Eighteen women selected this year represent both public and "quiet" contributions to the various communities throughout North Hempstead. This year's ceremony also featured a performance by North Hempstead artist Shirley Romaine.
This year's list of honorees includes former North Hempstead Supervisor May Newburger who started the Roll of Honor eleven years ago in an effort to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of women throughout the Town. In honor of her efforts the Roll of Honor was officially renamed The May Newburger Women's Roll of Honor.
"I am excited to announce that this year we have again selected another outstanding group of extraordinary North Hempstead women to add to our Roll of Honor," said Town Clerk Michelle Schimel, the chair of the event. "Thanks to the efforts of former Supervisor May Newburger, we have been able to establish a tradition of honoring the extraordinary women whose hard work has left a lasting impact on our community."
The following is a list of the eighteen honorees:
· Jacqueline S. Carway, ESQ., Village of Mineola: Ms. Carway has been an active member of the Mineola community serving on the Village's Master Planning Committee, Architectural Review Board, Environmental Advisory Board, and the Ecology and Beautification Committee. Receiving her Juris Doctor in 1977, she is the managing partner of Carway and Flipse, Esqs. as well as giving generously of her time to Girl Scouts of Nassau County, Mineola Athletic Association, County Seat Kiwanis, and Evening Star Quilters.
· Barbara Donno, Village of Plandome Manor: Serving as President of the Manhasset Board of Education for the past 4 year and a Board Member for the past 7 years, Ms. Donno has also been involved in the Manhasset Youth Council, Plandome Mills Owners Association, Citizen Advisory Committee on Finance for the Manhasset schools. She was a co-founder of the Parent Resource Center and served on the Board of Directors of the Great Neck/Manhasset Child Care Center.
· Hon. Ann M. Galante, Village of Mineola: In 1991 Ms. Galante became the first woman to be elected Mayor of the Village of Mineola and went on to be elected North Hempstead Receiver of Taxes, serving for 12 years. An outspoken advocate for her community, Ms. Galante has served as President of the Mineola Welcome Wagon and was a founding member of the Circle of Friends Society of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County as well as the Mineola Friends of A. Holly Patterson Nursing Home. An active member of Corpus Christi Church, she has played dynamic roles in the Catholic Daughters of America and the Soroptomist Society.
· Lillian Gallo-Kane, Port Washington (Posthumous): As Past President of the North Salem Civic Association, Ms. Gallo-Kane was instrumental in saving the Salem Elementary School, helping to preserve the Port Washington School Districts small class sizes and nurturing environment for countless generations of school children.
· Mindy Gordon, Great Neck: For the past three years Ms. Gordon has devoted her remarkable time and energy towards raising money for children with cancer at Winthrop Hospital. In addition to her activities with the hospital, she also organizes the "Fun Run" for the children in Great Neck each year, a major community event. She also serves as a volunteer with the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition to Help Clean the Environment.
· Cecile Yvette Howard Long, Westbury: Ms. Long serves as President of the Westbury Public Library Board of Trustees and is a board member of both the Heart Council of Long Island and the Child Care Council of Nassau. As a retired librarian, she has used her abilities to start a library in her church, as well as being a member of Westbury/Carle Place chapter of AARP, where she is Chairperson of the Community Service Committee.
· Josephine Jozef, Williston Park: As President of UNIT for the past twelve years, Ms. Jozef has worked with the residents and business owners of the Willistons to raise money and support for the American Cancer Society. Active in her church and local chapter of the Knights of Columbus, she has been characterized by her neighbors as, "A beautiful person who is always full of hope."
· Mary Kasindorf, Great Neck: Ms. Kasindorf, a former Nursery and Kindergarten teacher, served as the first Executive Director of CLASP Children's Center for seventeen years. Since retiring from CLASP in 1999, she volunteers her time with the Reach Out and Read program at North-Shore L.I.J. Health Care System, and continues to work with the Great Neck Manhasset Child Care Partnership and the Child Care Council of Nassau.
· Ariel M. Kravitz, Manhasset Hills: Although only fifteen years old, Ms. Kravitz she has been dubbed the "real-life Dr. Doolittle" thanks to her work with animals. She has demonstrated her unwavering commitment to groups such as the North Shore Animal League and the Long Island Riding for the Handicapped Association and has interned with the New Hyde Park Animal Hospital and was selected the 2003 Humane Teen of the Year by the US Humane Society. In addition to her volunteer work she is an honor and AP student.
· Dr. Alverna Lewis, Westbury: As a volunteer with the Seniors of Westbury Center, Ms. Lewis has established the award winning Telementor Project, a partnership between the Westbury Public Schools and the Senior Citizens Center. The Telementor Project is an educational mentoring program that develops intergenerational learning communities between senior citizens and school students.
· Maureen Meenaghan, Great Neck: As Executive Assistant to Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, Ms. Meenaghan has made an extraordinary impact on the lives of the residents of the Town of North Hempstead through her personal attention and consideration. She treats everyone's issues as if they were her own and exemplifies the best of political activism and government service.
· May W. Newburger, Great Neck: May Newburger was the first woman to be elected chief executive of a Nassau County Town when she became North Hempstead Supervisor in 1993. Throughout her five terms in office, she worked tirelessly to restore fiscal integrity to the Town while improving the quality of life for its residents. Prior to her tenure as Supervisor, Ms. Newburger spent eight years in the New York State Assembly pioneering legislation to protect victims of domestic violence and protect Long Island's fragile environment. In addition, she has been an amazingly effective advocate for children's and women's issues for which she has received innumerable awards and honors from local and national organizations.
· Ursula Odierna, Williston Park: Throughout her many years of service to her community, Ms. Odierna has served as President of the Mercy League of the Willistons, President of the Nassau County Court Clerks Association, Director of the New York State Court Clerk's Association, and Regent of Catholic Daughters of America. In addition, she has helped to raise money for a myriad of different community groups including: Chamber of Commerce the Willistons, County Seat Kiwanis, and Williston Park Rotary for the Gift of Life program.
· Jennifer Rimmer, Port Washington: As Executive Director of Residents for a More Beautiful Port Washington, Jennifer Rimmer has been instrumental in guiding several community projects including the Mill Pond Beautification project, the Manhasset Bay Walkway and five maintenance efforts for public parks in Port Washington. In addition, Ms. Rimmer has been responsible for obtaining countless grants and donations to help revitalize Port Washington's waterfront.
· Lois Schwaeber, ESQ., Roslyn Harbor: Over the last decade Ms. Schwaeber has worked tirelessly to help victims of domestic violence and rape in our area. Working with Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Nassau/Suffolk Law Services, Inc., and Volunteer Lawyers Project, she has helped countless women access legal services. Her pro bono work includes representing women in Landlord/Tenant Court and in filling uncontested divorces.
· Lee Seeman, Great Neck: Ms. Seeman, a licensed insurance broker, has been an active member and program chair of the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce for over 25 years. Among her many activities, Lee Seeman has been appointed by both Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush to serve on the IUS Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, and also serves as a Trustee of the W.F. Albright Institute of Archeology in Jerusalem. She has been an effective Democratic leader since the days when that was a "quixotic adventure."
· Sr. Kathy Somerville, Port Washington: Sister Kathy Somerville serves as the director of the Social Ministry Outreach Program that provides help for the greater Port Washington community by feeding the hungry, supplying job training for the unemployed, and providing holiday gifts to needy children. She has improved the quality of life for the neediest of individuals and families throughout the Port Washington community.
· Grace A. Warner, Manhasset: Grace Warner, a former classroom teacher, Assistant Principal, was the first Principal of the John F. Kennedy School in Great Neck. She has dedicated herself to a lifetime of work for the Great Neck School system. Her extensive volunteer activities include: St. Mary's CCD, Friends of Manhasset Library, the Manhasset High School Scholarship Committee, as a mentor at the Manhasset Shelter Rock School, and is now Secretary to the GNTA/REC Executive Board.