Elmont Family Fun Day: Thank You

The First Annual Elmont Family Fun Day is in the books!

We are grateful firstly for fair enough weather to kick off our show and to everyone who participated even when it rained.

Thanks to our fellow members of the planning team — Cheryl Lee, Tammie Williams, Joyce Stowe and Tamar Paoli — for believing in the vision to unite the Elmont community and for working hard to make our vision a reality.

Thank you to our sponsors who joined our efforts at the perfect time and gave us a much-needed lift. Thanks to the Office of the Legislator Carrie Solages and his staff, namely Daniel and Marianne for their efforts. Thank you to Highlighting Success Inc. for their support and collaboration.

Thanks to the Office of Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages for mobilizing their resources, and to Alicia Munian for her efforts and communication. Thank you to Applebee’s for such generous donations which were vital to our event’s success. Thanks to Jerry Lemaine and My Forever Young Charity, Inc. for accessing your resources and network to support this event. Thank you to Walgreens, State Farm, TD Bank and Bow Tie Cinemas for their donations. Thank you to Pizza Hut for working with us to provide refreshments.

Thank you to our vendors and organizations — Girls PRIDE Project for providing necessary supplies. Thank you to Women of Integrity Inc. for interacting with community members and for helping to elevate our presence on social media. To Jeff and Hard Work Clothing, thank you for handling adversity with calm, poise & communication. And thank you to Hard Work for gifting dozens of residents with exclusive fall and winter skullies. Thank you to EMG Health and Healthfirst for providing guests with informational services. Thank you to New York Life for your presence. Thank you to our guests at the voter registration table. Thank you to Elmont Youth Soccer Club for adding a layer to our community outreach efforts.

Thank you to our performers — Thank you to Carine V. for delivering a stirring National Anthem, and to Carl Achille for his reflective remarks honoring New York’s finest & bravest. Thank you to Fen G. for being a consummate professional, adapting to whatever we threw his way and for making the audience laugh. Thank you to DJ Show N Tell, who had the perfect temperament for this event and stayed on his toes giving the audience a good time start to finish. Thank you to Roxie Digital for going the extra mile, being a gracious host, and for showing the community lots of love. Thank you to OKK Karate youth for their impressive karate demonstrations. Thank you to DBD for staying mellow and keeping patient until it was his time to perform — then he turned up! Thank you to Church of the Harvest Praise Team for getting everybody involved with your spirited presentation. Thank you to Kyron Dupont for making yourself available and for engaging mindfully throughout this entire process. Thank you to P. Phileston for blessing the stage and captivating the audience with your lyrics. Thank you to Warren Wint for your energy and passion, & for locking-in to this initiative throughout. Thank you to ICONIC10DENCIES for a dazzling, impromptu trumpet performance! Thank you finally to Naiika Sings for traveling over the river and through the woods back to her home town just in time to deliver a powerful set!

Thank you to our special guests, Elmont Memorial High School’s new principal Mr. Kevin ‘Doc’ Dougherty for attending and speaking to the community.Thank you to Elmont’s Very Own player development guru, Coach T, for swinging through and even doing some heavy lifting! Thank you to Elmont’s own rising star, professional boxer, Titus “God Gifted” Williams for stopping by and showing love to the community. Thank you to Fifth Precinct Inspector Gary Stanzoni for taking time out to attend, interact with guests and for even helping with our cleanup efforts.

Thank you to Town of Hempstead Department of Parks staff — Eddie, Richie, Don and the whole crew — for showing us hospitality and easing the logistical burden significantly. Thank you to Nassau County Auxiliary Police who secured the premises and ensured the safety of our guests’ comings and goings.

Thank you to all of our volunteers — Jerry for manning the grill like a champ! Monika, for being the first volunteer in attendance, helping to regulate concession and welcome our guests. Thanks to Evensky and Prisca who showed tremendous resolve and a heart for service as they dished out food to a larger than expected crowd! Thank you to Carine and Erna for journeying to pick up several boxes of pizza for our guests! Thank you to Christelle, Princessa and everyone who held down the WeAreElmont.com table, organizing our custom t-shirts and taking names. Thank you to Alexandra and Sophonie for always being on the go & for showing proactive hospitality to event performers. Thank you to Valley Stream’s own Marvin Shoots Photography for capturing our day’s moments on film to share. Thank you to our clean-up crew — Linda, Beatrice, Bridget, Angelo, Daniel and to all the kind souls who may not be named — for their selfless acts of participation.

We sincerely appreciate everyone’s efforts towards making Elmont Family Fun Day a success. May we continue to unite as a community and create the change we wish to see in our neighborhood.

Higher Heights