Lindy Beautification after Sandy Effort Rakes 60+ Homes

This past weekend volunteers from the joint Beautification after Sandy effort of the Lindenhurst Rotary Club, Lindenhurst Interact and Camp Bulldog were joined by volunteers from the Gilford, New Hampshire Rotary and Interact Clubs.

Together they raked the Hurricane Sandy-battered yards of 60-plus homes located South of Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst and in nearby superstorm-affected South Shore communities that registered for the effort online.

This weekend’s efforts were indicative of the efforts that began a couple of weeks ago, and this weekend was the official kick-off and the largest push to get the approximately 180 registered homes done.

“We’re almost done, and we’ll be going out again this weekend,” Lindy Rotary Club President told Lindenhurst Patch on Wednesday.

The Effort’s Results So Far
The 60-plus is on top of the 35 to 40 homes that were already completed in prior BAS volunteer weekends, according to her. Each one had its lawns and gardens raked, and was given fliers to help get the soil back to a pre-Sandy, pre-salt water-flooded state.

The goal, she said, is to be done by Mother’s Day weekend, when they’ll be delivering plants and planters - paid for by the Gilford Rotary - to the completed homes.

Milton started and spearheaded this effort a couple of months ago, working with Rotary Vice President Phil Renna and Secretary Karen Golden and Corinna Reyes of Camp Bulldog to make this all happen.

Outpouring of Volunteerism
The Gilford, New Hampshire volunteers - which also included Belknap Landscaping Company, Incorporated and members of PLANET, the national trade association of landscape industry professionals - arrived on Friday and were put up at the Rainbow Center in Lindenhurst. More volunteer crews, joined them on Sunday, too, Milton said.

Boy and Girl Scouts from New Hampshire were also among the volunteers, as was young Naomi Eldridge, representing the Gilford Early Interact Club (middle school level).

Kurt Webber, Gilford Rotary president, said the Club had a meeting in January to determine what charities the Club would help in 2013. And after looking at requests members thought they should reach out to those impacted by Sandy in New Jersey and New York. Through the Rotary International network of people, they were put in touch with Milton and Lindenhurst Rotary, he said.

“We’ve been working on this effort for a couple of months now,” said Milton, who’s also the advisor the Lindenhurst Interact Club, which was part of the effort.

“And we’ve had volunteers from all over - last weekend before this we had some foreign exchange students help, and we’re still taking volunteers. And we’ve had many donations from Rotaries and from businesses, and individual donations of $10, $15 - every dollar helped.”

For example, “all meals for the Gilford volunteers this weekend were taken care of. One Rotary donated lunch, one catered lunch through Kurt’s Deli and one was making a ham dinner on Saturday night. Uneeda Bagel donated bagels for breakfast on Saturday. 7-Eleven sent coffee,” she noted.

Volunteers Thanked
All of this weekend’s volunteers gathered along with the Lindenhurst Beautification after Sandy volunteers on Saturday, April 13, at Camp Bulldog for a kick-off ceremony that also drew Mayor Tom Brennan, Deputy Mayor Kevin McCaffrey and Trustees Maryann Weckerle, Joan M. Masterson and Mike Lavorata; Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and Councilman Tom Donnelly; Suffolk County Legislature Deputy Presiding Officer Wayne Horsley; and New York State Assemblyman Bob Sweeney.

They all thanked the volunteers for their efforts.

“Great work has come out of Camp Bulldog, with Andrea [Curran] and Robin [DiGiacomo], and the Beautification after Sandy effort, with Jackie [Milton] and their work and the Rotaries from as far away as New Hampshire,” said Schaffer, who also noted the work of Florence Finley who’s been the Town’s liaison in the aftermath of Sandy.

“We know exactly what’s gone on here - psychologically, physically - and we’ve received help from all corners of the world. Our hearts go out to everyone affected, and it’s heartening to see people stepping up, getting off their couches and helping their neighbors,” he said.

“It’s been really hard for so many down here South of Montauk, to see their whole lives on the sidewalk. For them to see a nice, clean lawn is huge,” Brennan said.

“As a fellow Rotarian to see them come out and help, and for the Lindy Interact kids come out, too - that’s the spirit of Rotary,” Horsley said.

“This means so much to those who’ve been impacted and have a long road back. When people show up like this it shows we haven’t forgotten what happened this year,” Sweeney said.

Connie Gevinski, Rotary district governor for Suffolk County, summed up: “The theme this year for Rotary is Peace through Service, and this demonstrates that and the Rotary motto, ‘Service above Self.’”