Mineola students help Habitat for Humanity efforts
While Hurricane Sandy is a far-removed memory for most people, for many New Yorkers, the effects of the 2012 storm are still too real. Mineola students recently picked up hammers, drills and paintbrushes to help their Breezy Point, Queens neighbors struggling to rebuild after the storm as part of a volunteer activity with the SPARC club. 
This is the third time Mineola students have traveled to Breezy Point to help Habitat for Humanity with Sandy clean up efforts. Joined by 10 students from Carle Place High School, the 10 Mineola students helped paint, put in insulation and clear up debris.
“I wanted them to see Long Island is still feeling the aftermath of Sandy. People are still struggling to get back into their houses,” said Eileen Burke, co-advisor of the Mineola High School student service center which oversees the SPARC club.
Senior Katie Shi said going to Breezy Point was an eye-opening experience.
“In Mineola, it wasn’t as devastating. People weren’t hit as hard and we were lucky,” Shi said. “It was such a bad zone of where they got hit [in Breezy Point]. It was tough to see that it was still like that after so many years, but it made the whole effort so much better because we were helping people who needed it.”
Burke said service projects like the one at Breezy help students learn about different ways they can help those in need. She said exposure to service projects at the high school level usually leads to involvement in later years.
“Kids see they have skills they didn’t know they possess. Who knew a 16 or 17 year old knew how to put installation in?” Burke said. “There really is so many different ways they can help. Whether it’s Habitat this month, a soup kitchen, an environmental project. There’s a service project that’s going to really speak to them if they try different things.”
