CSM’s Sidewalk Sweep last Saturday, May 14, was an excellent and highly successful event precisely because of the 81 volunteers who arrived for the 10 a.m. kickoff. Donning T-shirts donated by the Town of North Hempstead and armed with brooms and dust pans, gloves and garbage bags, these volunteers not only swept the sidewalks and weeded and swept the gutters the length of Plandome Road from Webster Avenue to Northern Boulevard, they also included side streets off Plandome Road, and the railroad parking lot.
Local merchants joined the volunteers in sweeping outside their storefronts and expressed gratitude to the volunteers for their hard work in sprucing up Manhasset’s business district. Passersby and shoppers also voiced their support and gratitude to the volunteers.
Volunteers represented the following groups: Adventures in Learning; Boy Scouts; Coalition for a Safer Manhasset (CSM); Council of Greater Manhasset Civic Associations; Girl Scouts; Hofstra University; Manhasset Chamber of Commerce; Manhasset High School National Honor Society; Plandome Association and St. Mary’s High School. The volunteers included students from fifth grade through college and adults.
Representing The American Legion Sergeant-at-Arms Thomas Buzzitta, and Peter Killian, vice commander, opened the event by presenting the colors and leading the recital of the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Volunteers Diane Harragan, Evelyn Willard and Laura Petras ran the reception desk, signing in volunteers and giving work assignments; handing out T-shirts, gloves, garbage bags, brooms and dustpans; preparing the community service certificates for the students; handing out water provided by King Kullen, and snacks provided by CSM.
Adult volunteers Rich Bentley, Charlie Hon, Andrew Schwenk, Walter Stackler and Anne Tomlinson acted as team leaders. Volunteer photographers Rich Bentley, Pat Grace and Elizabeth Johnson took photographs to document the tremendous amount of work that was accomplished by the hardworking volunteer crews cleaning the streets and gutters. These photographs will be showcased on the CSM website at www.coalitionforasafer manhasset.sharepoint.com.
Judi Bosworth, supervisor of Town of North Hempstead, stopped by during the event to express her thanks to all the volunteers and to CSM for again organizing this event. CSM began the Sidewalk Sweep in 2009 to highlight pedestrian and driver safety on Plandome Road as well as to beautify our town and take pride in our clean streets.
Donna Callery and Sophie Colallilo, Manhasset Girl Scout Troop 523, who are working together on a project entitled Pedestrian Safety for their Girl Scout Silver Award, were invited by CSM to present their project during the Sidewalk Sweep. Donna and Sophie spoke to many passersby about pedestrian, bike and car safety, and used a diorama they had made to engage people on specific road-safety issues.
CSM wishes to thank the TONH for the T-shirts and for placing traffic cones on a section of Plandome Road near the reception desk to protect our large group of volunteers. CSM wishes to thank King Kullen for generously supplying water for the volunteers. CSM wishes to thank David Patterson, Manhasset Park District commissioner, for picking up the remaining piles of debris by the bridge on Manhasset Avenue. We also wish to thank MPD staff for placing traffic cones in the railroad parking lot adjacent to the CSM reception desk.
CSM especially wishes to heartily thank all the volunteers who worked tirelessly and cheerfully to clean Plandome Road and the surrounding areas in this year’s Sidewalk Sweep. Volunteering is a wonderful tradition in Manhasset and we salute all volunteers who support the many different activities and worthwhile causes that make our community such a great place to live, raise our children, work and shop.
For further information on the work of CSM, to volunteer or to make a donation, please contact us by email at CSM556@yahoo.com.
Think safety. We do!
—Eileen Russo
