Fundraiser at East Rockaway fire house supports Keith Lane scholarship

Hundreds of people came to the Main Street Firehouse in East Rockaway on June 2 to support the second annual fundraiser to benefit the Keith Lane Visual & Media Arts Scholarship. In all, about $2,500 was raised.
“I was overwhelmed,” said Stacy Lane-Navarra, who organized the event. “So many people donated, so many people came and shopped. It was amazing.”
The fundraiser was held in memory of Lane-Navarra’s brother, Keith, a photojournalist and volunteer fireman who died suddenly in August 2016 at age 53. Most of the money raised from the fundraiser will be put toward the scholarship, which will be awarded to a member of East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School’s class of 2018 who plans to pursue a degree in media or communications. A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the Nassau County Firefighters Museum, which posthumously honored Lane in April 2017.
The garage sale fundraiser featured various items for sale, including clothing, handbags, shoes, electronics and home items. Some patrons and organizations decided to forgo purchasing items and made donations instead, including Lexus of Rockville Centre, which gave $500 to the cause.
Two years after Lane’s death, the community still remains heavily dedicated to him. Hundreds of his friends, family members, neighbors and co-workers came to the firehouse during the day to participate in the fundraiser, a testament to a man who touched the lives of everyone around him, according to Lane-Navarra. She said her brother was often described as a man who “you could meet once and feel like you’ve known him your whole life.”
East Rocckaway senior Rachel Graves was announced as the winner of the scholarship, last Thursday at the high school’s Senior Awards Night. Graves was chosen by a committee that included Lane-Navarra, her daughter Ashley Ruland and CNN senior photojournalist Walter Imparato, among others,