54 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • FEBRUARY 2, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM buzz Flushing faithful celebrate diversity with candle-lighting BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com/@ smont76 Members of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and other communities Long Island-based bank chain expands to College Point BY MCGEORGE SORENSEN One of the leading banks on Long Island is continuing its westward expansion into Queens. Th e First National Bank of Long Island christened its newest branch in College Point with a ribbon-cutting on Monday, Jan. 30. Bank President Michael Vittorio was joined by numerous bank offi cials and Queens business advocates for the ceremony. Based in Glen Head in Nassau County, the First National Bank of Long Island was born in the 1920s when Long Island was still a predominantly farming community. In this century, however, it has grown by leaps and bounds into one of the most profitable financial companies east of the Queens County line; Newsday reported that the bank’s fourth-quarter income in 2016 grew by 13.6 percent to $7.5 million, and that its residential mortgages increased by $213 million, bringing the bank’s total mortgages to $1.3 billion. Th e First National Bank of Long Island has more than 40 branches now in Nassau and Suff olk counties. With its strong Long Island presence, Vittorio -- who joined the bank 15 years ago -- sought to expand the business further by branching out to Queens. Prior to opening its College Point branch, the First National Bank of Long Island recently opened branches in Howard Beach and Whitestone. Th e bank prides itself on serving small businesses and professionals including doctors, dentists, attorneys and accountants. It off ers all kinds of consumer and business banking services, checking and savings accounts, commercial and residential mortgages, and various investment products. Vittorio hopes the bank’s customer-friendly nature — its motto is “Where everyone knows your name” — will attract future generations of new customers in Queens and beyond. Photo by Allen Ngai Helping to cut the ribbon at the First National Bank of Long Island location in College Point are (from left to right) Brendan Levy of the Queens Chamber of Commerce; Rick Perro, the bank’s executive vice president; Christine Pryce, assistant vice president and assistant branch manager; Indira Miller, vice president and branch manager; Michael Vittorio, bank president; Joe Ciampa, landlord; Tom Grech, executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce; and Cathy O’Malley, the bank’s senior vice president and district manager. hailing from areas around Queens gathered in Flushing on Monday night for a symbolic celebration of religious diversity and freedom. The Beacon of Pluralism Project, organized by local artists Nancy Bruno and Gina Minielli, is a ceremonial candle-lighting ceremony meant to bring together members of diff erent faiths. Th e celebratory event took place at the Flushing Friends Meetinghouse on Jan. 30. “Th is meeting house represents — in the eyes of many people in Flushing, in Queens and the world, actually — the birth of religious freedom in North America,” said John Choe, member of the Flushing Interfaith Council. Leaders and members from the Church on the Hill, Free Synagogue of Flushing, Church of St. Mel, Pax Christi Metro New York, Dar-al-Taqwa Islamic Center, Baha’i Temple, the Hindu Temple Society of North America, Unitarian Universalist Church of Flushing and the Flushing Quaker Meeting House convened at the meeting place that evening. “I grew up in Flushing,” Minielli said. “We are on the ground of religious freedom; it was born here. And every person from Flushing, or lives in Flushing or walks through Flushing should know that. It is never more important than it is right now, today.” Minielli and Bruno designed the candleholders, which each representative from the various congregations in attendance were invited to take back to their places of worship. “Oft en when we think about religion in the world today, we think of religion as instigator of violence,” said Blaine Crawford, pastor at the Church on the Hill in Flushing. “And I want to suggest that religion is a necessary good for fl ourishing communities; a necessary good for those involved with them.” “I think we all need to support each other, and that’s what this event, and this project, is about,” said a member of the Dar-al- Taqwa Islamic Center. Th e event also featured a slideshow of photographs taken by Minielli, highlighting the various houses of worship and religious gatherings throughout the borough. Th e project received support from Queens College, Social Practice Queens, the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, as well as the Flushing Interfaith Council. Photo by Suzanne Monteverdi/QNS A member of the Church on the Hill congregation receives a ceremonial candle.
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