Some are still in elementary school. Others live on in name only. But all of the volunteers recently inducted into the Long Island Volunteer Hall of Fame (LIVHOF) earned the honor for the same reason: Taking to new heights their selfless dedication to making LI a better place.
There was the 9-year-old who helped save the famed Nunley’s Carousel. The environmentalist who said the secret to his success is working for free. And the man who accepted an award on behalf of his late brother who dedicated his life to trying to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
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“You’re never too young, you’re never too old, you can make a difference,” said Charles Sharkey, a North Shore High School senior and Eagle Scout. He was one of the former who was awarded at Carlyle on the Green at Bethpage State Park on Feb. 6 for developing a safety program geared toward elementary school students.
In all, 12 advocates from across a wide spectrum of causes were inducted into LIVHOF at the ninth-annual awards ceremony to recognize the good deeds of the Island’s most benevolent.
Rachel Obergh, a 7th grader at Progressive School of Long Island, was honored for starting Pennies for Ponies, which raised $84,000 to refurbish the Nunley’s Carousel horses and have the ride moved to Museum Row in Nassau County two years ago. She is also a tutor and a volunteer.
While those and other such back stories behind the honorees were heartwarming, others tugged at the heart strings.
“Unable to save our daughter, we strive to save your children,” said a choked up Collette Coyne, founder of the Collette Coyne Melanoma Awareness Campaign, which is named for her daughter of the same name who died of the aggressive form of skin cancer. Ever the advocate, part of her acceptance speech turned into a warning on the dangers of UV rays.
Leukemia survivor Jay Napolitano’s heart-wrenching story of beating cancer in his childhood had a silver lining: His parents, Ralph and Mary, founded a scholarship for college-bound survivors like him. Jay’s World Child Cancer Foundation has raised $1.5 million and awarded 65 scholarships since its inception in 1997.
Among the more light-hearted awardees was Richard Schary, who noted the irony of being honored at the park where he launched his environmental activism career by successfully fighting plans to clear woods and build a sixth golf course. Schary and his wife, Lisa, are best known for their work as leaders of Friends of Massapequa Preserve, but they frequently lend their voices to other preservation causes.
“It’s the best job ever,” Richard said. “I can’t get fired. You can’t get rid of me.”
Also honored were Janet Walerstein of the Child Care Council of Suffolk County, Valia Seiskaya of the Ballet Education and Scholarship Fund, Jill Rooney of Sea Cliff-based Harbor Daycare Center, Maida Cherry of the Association of Professional Volunteer Administrators, Robert McMilan of the Long Island Housing Partnership and John J. Sullivan, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award in Volunteerism for his work with Abilities, Inc.
In addition, William Heiser, founder of the William Heiser Foundation for the Cure of Spinal Cord Injuries, was posthumously honored.
Although those inducted into the hall of fame had their charitable spirit inspired from different experiences, the common thread found in each is the transformation their philanthropy has had in their lives.
Diana O’Neill, executive director of LIVHOF, which is an affiliate of the HandsOn Network, summed it up best.
“Volunteering is not what you give, it’s not even what you get, it’s what you become.”
