Honoring three special citizens

Oceanside Kiwanis honored three members of the community at its Charter and Installation dinner on Sept. 18 at the Oceanside Jewish Center. More than 100 people attended, including Joe Aiello, the Kiwanis New York governor, and Nancy Baxter, the lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Long Island’s Southwest division.

According to Oceanside Kiwanis President Tom Cesiro, nominations for the awards come from community members, and the club’s board of directors chooses the award winners.

The Heart of Gold award was presented to John Fellin, who has a long history of serving his community. “To be recognized in your own community, for work that you’ve gotten so much enjoyment out of and so many rewards out of, is very humbling,” he said.

Fellin has worked in the catering and hospitality industry since 1972, and from 2003 to 2005 he was the chairman of the New York State Restaurant Association. He is involved with his church, St. Anthony’s, and especially the Youth Ministry program and the annual St. Anthony’s Feast. In December, he biked the 225 miles from Boca Raton, Fla., to Key West to raise money for cancer research, after a friend’s daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

“The volunteer work I’ve done over the years, I get far more back than I give,” Fellin said. “There’s so much the sense of satisfaction I get from volunteer work I’ve done. I just look at it and say, ‘Why am I getting a reward for something I’ve enjoyed so much in my life?’”

Fellin has been a member of Kiwanis for less than a year, but his involvement with the club dates back to when he was 17 and working as a busboy at Bruno’s On the Boulevard in Queens—which he now owns. At a Kiwanis Christmas party, club members gave a lot of toys to children.

“I was like, ‘Who’s this guy that can afford all of this?’” Fellin recalled. “I remember them saying to me, ‘No it’s not a guy, it’s Kiwanis.’ And I said, ‘Well, when did they get all this money to buy all these presents and just give it away?’ And they said, ‘Yeah, they just give it away to all these kids.’ And it always stuck in my mind.”

The Special Service Award was presented to Angela Abend and Donna Migdol, teachers in the Oceanside School District and the directors of Project Extra, the district’s program for gifted students.