East Meadow kids take care of their neighborhood

It wasn’t just about raking leaves and picking up litter on Saturday morning at Veterans Memorial Park and along East Meadow Avenue. For Peter Cipriano Jr., president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, and the volunteer team of kids and parents, it set the tone for much more.

“It’s a community pride thing,” Cipriano said. “It gives them a connection. When they get older, they won’t be as willing to destroy something, they will say, ‘Hey guys, don’t make a mess.’”

A group of 18 youth volunteers that included students from local elementary, middle and high schools met at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday morning for Community Service Day, the inaugural assignment for the East Meadow Cleanup Crew.

East Meadow resident and Chamber member Linda DeMasi organized the crew, which included confirmation candidates from St. Raphael’s R.C. Church and students from Parkway Elementary School. “We wanted to do something where kids can help the community,” DeMasi said. “I said we should do something with East Meadow and the Chamber.”

Cipriano, who owns a gardening center and landscaping company in East Meadow, guided the volunteers as they spent two hours cleaning up the Town Square portion of the park, and worked their way north on East Meadow Avenue toward Front Street.

“I think it’s good for us to help the community out,” said Rob Botman, an eighth-grader at Woodland Middle School.

G.F. Auto Repair on East Meadow Avenue allowed volunteers to deposit their trash bags in his company’s dumpsters.

Adrian Campodano, also a Chamber member and East Meadow resident, agreed with his longtime friend Cipriano about the important lessons that the Community Service Day taught the youth volunteers.

“They will think twice before throwing something on the ground,” Campodano said. “It connects them to their hometown. It’s where they work, play and go to school.”

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