OCTOBER 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 25
BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS OF LI
MUCH-NEEDED RELATIONSHIPS
OPINION
SEPTEMBER 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 21
BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS OF LI
MUCH-NEEDED RELATIONSHIPS
BBBSLI held its annual winter blast event in January.
JERICHO RESIDENTS OPPOSE HOMELESS SHELTER
BY JENNIFER VARTANOV
AND MARC ALBERT,
CONCERNED
JERICHO PARENTS
To date, more than 2500 Jericho
community members have signed
a petition in staunch opposition
to the illegal homeless shelter in
Jericho, which Community Housing
Innovations (CHI) and 120 WestEnd
LLC is seeking to open. Why do
these companies seem to be willing
to go to the ends of the earth to try
to ensure the opening of the subject
shelter…MONEY.
$6.5 Million in taxpayer money
will be paid annually to CHI to
fund over a 10 year period. Each
year, CHI will take more than half
of that money and pay it directly to
120 Westend LLC and its super rich
developer Joel Shafran.
Shafran purchased the Hampton
Inn for $13.5M earlier this year and
will stand to make more than $21M
in profits by the end of the 10 year
agreement.
The deal – made between Nassau
County, CHI and Shafran’s120
WestEnd – was kept completely
hidden from the Town of Oyster
Bay (upon which the Hampton Inn
property sits), local legislators
and the community at large until
construction was commenced
earlier this summer in an attempt
to move at least 80 families into the
shelter before anyone knew what
was taking place. Were the terms
of the agreement kept under strict
lock and key because the parties
knew that they would have difficulty
explaining the efficacy of the deal to
even the most ardent supporters of
the homeless?
The list of questions being asked
not only by Jericho community
members, but also by Town officials
and local legislators is almost
endless. If $6.5M of taxpayer money
annually over the next 10 years is
being ear marked for housing for
the homeless, how does it make
sense to give more than half of that
year in and year out in profits to a
wealthy developer? Shouldn’t the
The former Hampton Inn hotel at 120 Jericho Tpke. in Jericho. Credit: Charles Eckert
prime beneficiaries of this money
be Nassau County’s homeless
and not Mr. Shafran? With this
massive expenditure, shouldn’t the
County be in a position to provide
permanent housing and other
services to homeless families? We
have seen from events in NYC that
hotels are more of a problem than a
solution! People are being bounced
around as though they don’t matter.
Moreover, in this Covid age
with the risks to our communities
remaining extensive, how can
CHI and/or 120 WestEnd explain
moving forward with this plan –
which places hundreds of people
in close quarters? As Nassau
County’s Legislature prepares to
hold a public hearing with regard
to the Jericho shelter, one can only
hope that the curtain behind which
this deal was agreed to begins to be
pulled back and some of the above
questions are answered.
PRESS BUSINESS
BY BRIANNA KOVIT
Many adults go their entire lives without
experiencing the love one has for
ayounger sibling. Other children spend
much of their youth wishing for the
protection only an older sibling could
provide. Across Long Island, this wish
is coming true.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Long Island
(BBBSLI) provides the opportunity to
reimagine a sibling relationship. Since
1977, the organization has matched adult
volunteers — “Bigs” — with children ages
7 to 16 — “Littles” — who could benefit
from the additional guidance and sup-
port of an outside mentor. Its mission
is to create and support one-to-one
mentoring relationships that “ignite the
power and promise of youth,” according
to the group.
“BBBSLI continues to make a positive
impact throughout Long Island,” said
the Islandia-based group’s CEO,
Mark Cox. The relationships formed
through the work of this private,
nonsectarian not-for-profit are as
nuanced as any other sibling re-lationship.
There are a variety of programs
that help the children’s families, and
the volunteers find the right match
for them.
The Sibling Support program matches
children who are the siblings of
a special needs child with a mentor
who will be able to give them the
time and attention that their parents
may not always be able to. The High
School Bigs program, where younger
elementary-aged “Littles” are matched
with high-school-aged “Bigs,” helps the
younger student to gain confidence and
teaches the young adult valuable leadership
skills. But, no matter the program,
its success depends on consistency in
the relationships.
Annually, BBBSLI “Bigs” spend more
than 25,000 hours with their “Littles.”
And, of all the organization’s current
matches, 20 percent have been paired
for more than five years.
In 1997, in order to increase service to
Long island children and their families,
the organization expanded to create
the Donation Center. Six days a week,
BBBSLI sends out a fleet of trucks across
Long Island to pick up gently used
items. In partnership with SAVERS
stores, these donations are turned into
much-needed funds, of which 100 percent
supports Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Long Island.
“I am always inspired by the work that
is going on at Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Long Island as they work to foster
the next generation of leaders in government,
business, the arts and science,”
said Suffolk County Executive
Steve Bellone. “We are encouraging
anyone who can spare a few hours a
month to strongly consider getting involved
and help make a real difference
in a child’s life.”
A list of acceptable donation items, information
regarding scheduling a pick
up, and instructions on how to become a
“Big” can be found on its websitebbbsli.
org/donation-center
held its annual winter blast
event in January.
PRESS BUSINESS
BY BRIANNA KOVIT
Many adults go their entire lives without
experiencing the love one has for a
younger sibling. Other children spend
much of their youth wishing for the
protection only an older sibling could
provide. Across Long Island, this wish
is coming true.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Long Island
(BBBSLI) provides the opportunity to
reimagine a sibling relationship. Since
1977, the organization has matched adult
volunteers — “Bigs” — with children ages
7 to 16 — “Littles” — who could benefit
from the additional guidance and support
of an outside mentor. Its mission
is to create and support one-to-one
mentoring relationships that “ignite the
power and promise of youth,” according
to the group.
“BBBSLI continues to make a positive impact
throughout Long Island,” said the
Islandia-based group’s CEO, Mark Cox.
The relationships formed
through the work of this private,
nonsectarian not-for-profit are as
nuanced as any other sibling relationship.
There are a variety of
programs that help the children’s
families, and the volunteers find
the right match for them.
The Sibling Support program
matches children who are the siblings
of a special needs child with
a mentor who will be able to give
them the time and attention that
their parents may not always be
able to. The High School Bigs program,
where younger elementary-aged
“Littles” are matched with high-schoolaged
“Bigs,” helps the younger student to
gain confidence and teaches the young
adult valuable leadership skills. But, no
matter the program, its success depends
on consistency in the relationships.
Annually, BBBSLI “Bigs” spend more
than 25,000 hours with their “Littles.”
And, of all the organization’s current
matches, 20 percent have been paired
for more than five years.
In 1997, in order to increase service to
Long island children and their families,
the organization expanded to create
the Donation Center. Six days a week,
BBBSLI sends out a fleet of trucks across
Long Island to pick up gently used items.
In partnership with SAVERS
stores, these donations are
turned into much-needed
funds, of which 100 percent
supports Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Long Island.
“I am always inspired by the
work that is going on at Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Long
Island as they work to foster
the next generation of leaders
in government, business, the
arts and science,” said Suffolk
County Executive Steve Bellone.
“We are encouraging
anyone who can spare a few hours a
month to strongly consider getting involved
and help make a real difference
in a child’s life.”
A list of acceptable donation items, information
regarding scheduling a pick
up, and instructions on how to become a
“Big” can be found on its websitebbbsli.
org/donation-center
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