Although reality TV “Housewives” draw the attention of millions, personifying the idea that money can’t buy a richness of character, the real “housewives” of Levittown demonstrate that they possess a vast wealth of character.
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, one only had to drive through the streets of Levittown to see the spirit of the people…the neighbors…the community. I watched neighbors help each other clean up the debris and damage. During the height of the storm my neighbors with power offered refuge to my family in their home, as we had no power.
While driving down streets, where one side of the street had power and the opposite side did not, the car tires rolled over power cord after power cord, connecting virtually every pair of homes facing each other. This allowed the powerless counterpart to maintain perhaps their refrigerator or an oven to prepare meals.
Perhaps the most enjoyable demonstration of Levittown’s sense of community, and those remarkable people who inhabit it, was on Halloween. My neighbor, and friend, Kristine Ekberg realized that children walking the neighborhood with trees and power lines down, might not be the safest way to observe Halloween. So she used Facebook to reach out to all her friends. “Trunk and Treat” in the vacant parking lot on the corner of Hempstead Turnpike and Gardiners Avenue began.
Imagine more than 100 cars, trunks wide open, filled with decorations and treats, and a parking lot full of children in costume, walking safely from car to car, “trick-or-treating,” playing, socializing and enjoying Halloween as if there had not been a devastating hurricane only two days prior. Thanks Kristine.
When the schools re-opened, a large sign at drop off greeted all Northside Elementary School families, “Join us in the library for coffee and heat.” In the library was a table with hot coffee and snacks, open to those whose power had not yet been restored. Thanks Mr. M.
So I am significantly more fortunate than any of the very privileged TV “Housewives,” as I have family, friends, neighbors and a community in Levittown, the value of which no amount of money could measure.
Marie Reid
