50 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2019
ACTS OF KINDNESS
HMTC AWARDS
HONORING UPSTANDING
STUDENTS
BY JULIA MORO
The Holocaust Memorial
and Tolerance Center
of Nassau County
(HMTC) in Glen Cove
honored four students
on May 6 for their courage
in confronting intolerance
or prejudice
when they encountered
it.
Those honored with the
Friedlander Upstander
Award — which teaches
students about the Holocaust
and challenges
them to act against intolerance
— were Riley
Meckley of Port Jefferson,
Chase Brodsky
of Jericho, Daniel
O'Neill of Manhasset,
and Rachel Leccese of
Mattituck.
“All of our upstanders
this year had really
done something that set
them apart by putting
themselves out there
and really helping others,”
says Helen Turner,
the director of youth
education at HMTC.
The award, founded
nine years ago and
funded by the Claire
Friedlander Family
Foundation, was set
up to give scholarships
to middle school, high
school and college
students who use
their voices against bullying and
intolerance.
Top to Bottom:
Daniel O'Neill, Chase
Brodsky, Rachel
Leccese, and Riley
Meckley.
Meckley was honored for demonstrating
how she is an upstander
through her daily choices, realizing
that it is important to step out of
your comfort zone to help others.
At Gelinas Junior High
School, Meckley is the
student government
president, which puts
her in a unique position
to continue to make a
positive impact on her
school and community.
Brodsky was honored
after she learned that
standing up to bullies
and treating others
with respect is paramount.
She was recognized
as an upstander
for her willingness to
go out of her way to
make everyone feel
included, while extending
her friendship to all
of her peers.
Leccese was honored
after she had found
herself being the subject
of intolerance from
students at school. As a
result, she set to make
sure they learned about
religious intolerance.
Lecesse organized a
presentation for her
school after contacting
HMTC in order to stop
discrimination and
intolerance.
O'Neill was honored
as after he decided to
confront his peers that
were being anti-Semitic
at school. Despite being
worried that he would
be bullied as well, he
spoke up.
“We’re really trying to encourage
students to take pride in their
actions for being an upstander,
but also to celebrate their choices
so that they really can make a
difference,” Turner says. “They’re
extraordinary young people.”
EXPECT TO EXCEED
YOUR EXPECTATIONS
UXURIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS | SUPERB DINING EXPERIENCE
FIRST-CLASS CATERED EVENTS
Long Island Gold Coast's Luxury Boutique Property
516.773.2000
WWW.INNATGREATNECK.COM
30 CUTTER MILL ROAD, GREAT NECK, NY 11021
EMAIL: SALES2INNATGREATNECK.COM
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
/WWW.INNATGREATNECK.COM
/SALES2INNATGREATNECK.COM
