Kids & Family
Good News: Teen Brings Trees to Disaster Zones; Kindergartener Saves Mom
Some stories put a smile on your face. Here's our wrap-up from around Suffolk County.
As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to nitty-gritty breakdowns of government and school district issues. But some stories are simply inspiring, often showing that at the heart of our communities is a desire to do good. Here are some of the touching headlines from the past seven days.
Teen Plants Trees to Revive Devastated Cities
Sarah Connor, a Northport resident, has dedicated the past nine years of her life to helping those affected by natural disasters, an impressive calling considering the fact that Connor is only 14 years old.
The teen started a lemonade stand when she was just 5 years old to help raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina, but when her favorite cherry tree in town was cut down, she expanded her fundraising efforts to plant trees in areas devastated by hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados and other natural disasters.
Kindergartner Makes Life-Saving Call
The quick thinking of a 5-year-old girl saved her mother's life in Nesconset last Monday.
Jillian Given, a kindergartener at Cherokee Street Elementary School, made an alarming 911 call at 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 16.
"Hello, my mom is diabetic ... she just puked ... ," Jillian says on the 911 recording. "My mom is passed out."
Grad Sets Village Record in 10K
A new local record was set Saturday when Northport resident Lianne Farber ran the fastest time of any village resident in Cow Harbor 10k race history.
The 21-year-old, who graduated from Northport High School in 2010, finished the 10-kilometer run in 35 minutes and 6 seconds.
School Artistically Celebrates Peace Day
Sayville students in Cherry Avenue Elementary school created Peace Flags in art class to send wishes of peace, serenity and happiness to friends and loved ones in the community. This art project, which coincided with the International Day of Peace, allowed the students to express their individual thoughts about peace in the world.
Scouts Clean Up Docks, Park
Members of Cub Scouts Pack 212 along with their families participated in the annual coastal clean-up effort this past weekend.
Lemonade Stand Backs Charity
The annual Alex's Lemonade fundraiser held at Old Navy in the Sayville Commons shopping center on Sunrise Highway, in Sayville, was a resounding success and raised over $900 for the charity.
The stand, which was open Saturday and Sunday two weeks ago, was manned by store employees as well as local students from the Bayport-Blue Point School District.
Banned Books Read Out Loud
In celebration of Banned Books Week, Patchogue-Medford Library held a read-out in front of their 54-60 E. Main St. location Wednesday afternoon.
Community members read excerpts from a number of stories that were banned at some point in history including the Dr. Seuss classes "The Lorax" and the ubiquitous "Harry Potter" books.
Village Welcomes Home Vet
Last week, the East Quogue community welcomed back one of their own, Army Spec. Andrew Kuroski, from his long tour in Afghanistan.
Droves of residents showed up at the East Quogue Elementary school to cheer on Kuroski as he arrived behind a patriot riders motorcycle escort.
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