Christine Mooney, East Meadow's 'unsung hero,' earns the Chamber of Commerce's Humanitarian Award

For the second time in the past year, Christine Mooney, of East Meadow, has been recognized for her volunteer work and activism in her community.

In August, Mooney received State Assemblyman John Mikulin’s Women of Distinction Award. And on Jan. 9, at the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce’s first meeting of the year, she was presented with the chamber’s Marvin Bernstein Humanitarian Award.

“She’s kind of like the unsung hero in all of this,” said Frank Camarano Jr., the chamber’s president in 2017 and 2018. “All that I’ve done in the community, I couldn’t have done without her.”

The award is given to an individual or group, chosen by the outgoing president, whose service to the East Meadow community stands out. It is typically presented at the chamber’s installation dinner, but Mooney will not be there because of a family obligation, so Camarano surprised her with the award two weeks ago.

Mooney was the chamber’s vice president for the past two years, and will serve another term in 2019. Camarano noted that he could rely on her for any needed help with fundraisers and events. “She never says no — she’s always game,” he said. “She finds the time, between her business and her family and everything else. I wanted to make sure that . . . we thanked her for it.”

Mooney grew up in Elmont before moving to East Meadow 31 years ago, after she and her husband, Tom, were married. Two years later she began teaching at the now-closed Alphabetland Day School in Merrick.

She went on to teach and direct education at United Methodist Church in East Meadow, where she got involved in a number of philanthropic causes and championed fundraisers that she still runs today. They include the Souper Bowl of Caring and Sock It to Me, through which she collects canned goods and new socks, respectively, for the Mary Brennan Interfaith Nutrition Network to give to local families in need.

During the holidays, Mooney collects new stuffed animals that she gives to children at Nassau University Medical Center. And each February, which the American Heart Association dubs American Heart Month, she crochets hats for newborns for the program Little Hats, Big Hearts in coordination with the organization.

Mooney has long been devoted to helping children, she said, and in 2012 she opened Tender Tales Nursery School, at what was then Temple Emanu-El in East Meadow. When the congregation merged with Temple B’nai Torah in Wantagh last June, her school moved with it.

Over the past year, she has been flooded with opportunities, she said, arising from the merger and her work with the chamber. “I was very lucky to [work] with Past President Frank Camarano,” Mooney said. “He’s full of energy. That was transferred to me at times.”

Her projects with the chamber include handing out “Shop Locally” welcome bags to new homeowners and helping with the chamber’s community holiday decorations and tree lighting. She also contributes to its Mock Interview program, in which business leaders give students a crash course on resume building and the basics of an interview.

Her involvement in education goes beyond her school: Mooney has taken several students under her wing as interns to help those interested in pursuing a career in early childhood education. She also reads to children in the Pick a Reading Partner literacy program at East Meadow elementary schools. And she recently began a summer youth program in which middle school students are taught to mentor young children.

Asked what inspires her to give back to her community, Mooney said that it started with the realization that others were not as fortunate as her. “You don’t realize what you have,” she said, “until you see what people don’t have.”