Bethpage-Tribune_1999-06-04

              " ' " H t i i H M i u h l i r hU
2 CAROL PR
BETHPAGE WV i i V M - ^ O '?
, J " i ii
YOUR OFFICIAL HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER
VOL. 33 NO. 22 June 4-June 10,1999 40 CENTS
Chief John Sullivan Chosen
As St. Patrick's Day Grand
Marshal For The Year 2000
The Bethpage St. Patrick's Pa­rade
Committee elected Chief John
R. Sullivan, Grand Marshal, to lead
the Bethpage St. Patrick's Parade
2000.
Our forebears came here seek­ing
freedom from tyranny and an
opportunity for a better life for
themselves and their families. Hard
work, commitment to family and
community are the hallmarks of our
immigrant population. These traits
are personified in the dedication
and selflessness of the volunteer
firemen and women.
Volunteering to be a member of
the community fire department is
among the most noble volunteer
activities. These brave and gener­ous
men and women never count
the hours nor the toll of their family
and personal lives when they re­spond
to a neighbor's call for help.
John, like so many other immi­grant
sons and daughters, has
been drawn to public service. For
John, public service meant volun­teering
in the Bethpage Volunteer
Fire Department. Because of this
tradition of service, volunteering
does not stop with Bethpage. If
there is an emergency in a neigh­boring
community or somewhere on
Long Island, Chief John Sullivan
and the members of his Depart­ment
will be there because he is an
effective leader and the men's
dedication does not stop at the
town line.
A plumber by trade, union
member by choice and volunteer
fireman because he cares about
people, John represents the best
our forebears hoped for in coming
to America. John is a family man
with a wonderful wife, three beauti­ful
children. He is a tradesmen with
a membership in an organization
that seeks justice and fair wages for
workers. And, with 25 years of vol­unteer
service to the community as
a member of the Fire Department -
the Bethpage St. Patrick's Parade
Committee is honored to have John
R. Sullivan as Grand Marshal.
John joins a distinguished list of
former Grand Marshals -Connie
Doolan, Rev. George Keaveney,
CSSR, Jack McCaffery, Fr. John
Murray, Bill Quigley, Syl Nugent,
John O'Hara and Frank Looney.
On Thursday, July 8, 1999, the
Parade Committee is holding a golf
outing at the Bethpage State Park -
red course - to raise funds for next
year's parade. For more informa­tion,
contact John McCaffery at
516-681-2547 or Bill McConnell at
516-731-5322
Bethpage Family Hosts
Needy City Child
It was a summer of fun for eight year old Sandra McLamb who
spent two weeks last summer with the Kilkenny family of Bethpage as
part of the Fresh Air Fund Friendly Town programs. Pictured are the
Kilkenny children with Sandra, (I to r) Tara Kilkenny, Sandra McLamb,
Christie and Lauren Kilkenny.
1999 St. Patrick's Day Parade Grand Marshal Frank Looney presenting
2000 Grand Marshal John Sullivan with sash.
The crisis in Kosovo. The
shooting at Columbine. The disaster
in Oklahoma. Lately, it seems as if
we are surrounded by despair.
People in far away places are in the
midst of such great suffering. We
empathize but what can we do to
truly make a difference in their
lives? We make a donation. We say
a prayer. But we still feel as if we
haven't done enough. Perhaps, it
helps to remember there are people
locally who need our help. People
we can meet, share experiences
with and whose lives we can directly
impact.
That's what Pat and Cathy Kil­kenny
of Bethpage did last summer
by opening their home to a Fresh
Air Fun child. Eight year old Sandra
McLamb who lives with her mother,
three brothers and one sister in a
Queens apartment had a chance to
spend two weeks on Long Island.
Thanks to the Kilkenny's she was
able to enjoy the many pleasures of
summer that underprivileged city
kids often miss out on - swimming
at the pool, having picnics in the
park, and just playing in a backyard.
Every summer, the Fresh Air
Fund, a not-for-profit agency, pro­vides
free summer vacations to
thousands of disadvantaged New
York City children. The children, six
to eight years old, are selected
based on financial need to spend
one to two weeks with volunteer
host families in the Northeast and
Canada. In 1998, Sandra was one
of 18 children who stayed with fami­lies
in the Bethpage-Syosset area.
According to Grace Razukas, local
Friendly Town chairperson, there
are no financial requirements for
hosting a child and The Fresh Air
Fund provides transportation and
medical and liability insurance.
"It doesn't take much to be­come
a host. Just a desire to help a
less fortunate child," said Razukas.
Host families may request a boy
or a girl and a certain age for their
Fresh Air child. Eight year old San­dra
was a perfect match for the Kil­kenny
family which has three girls,
ages 5, 7 and 10. "She fit right in,"
said Cathy Kilkenny. "They all got
along fine."
(Continued on page 10)