Seeking women of distinction

The Miss Wantagh Court is busy preparing for the second annual Women of Wantagh event, known as W.O.W., to be held on Tuesday, March 29. It is Women’s History Month and the court is looking forward to recognizing local and inspirational women who have made a large impact within the community.

“This event, which was started by Miss Wantagh 2014, Kayla Knight, let the community know that we have a lot of women in our community that selflessly give of themselves and we are happy to recognize their contributions,” Coordinator Ella Stevens said. “Through this recognition, we hope that others will want to contribute to the betterment of the community or to possibly join those that are doing so already.”

The Miss Wantagh Court is asking community members for nominations of women who have made their mark in Wantagh. The letters should include the nominee’s name and the reason for their nomination. 

“It’s important to recognize the lives and contributions of the women of our town, because they serve as strong role models who have demonstrated what can be accomplished,” Miss Wantagh 2015 Keri Balnis said. “We have been very fortunate to live in Wantagh and have had the opportunity to be recognized for making our mark in the community, but we now want to thank those who have done their parts too.”

After the Miss Wantagh Court reviews all of the nominations, they will select seven women to be honored at a ceremony at Wantagh Elementary School. The event will include a musical tribute to Wantagh, a presentation of the awards, refreshments and feature a few guest appearances from members of Miss Wantagh’s past.

“While the town and county will be honoring women from the Town of Hempstead and Nassau County during this month, Wantagh will be honoring its own,” Balnis added. “As Miss Wantagh, I am thrilled to be able to not only celebrate the Women of Wantagh but to show how much we appreciate them.” 

Elected Officials including Nassau County Assemblyman Dave McDonough, County Legislator Steven Rhoads, Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney, Sen. Michael Venditto and County Executive Edward Mangano have been invited to attend.

“The nominees of last year were not necessarily leaders of organizations, but were individual women that have made their mark on others,” Stevens said. “The girls of the Court, together with the elected officials that attended last year, made the honorees of the 2015 W.O.W. event realize how much their efforts were appreciated. Everyone loves that pat on the back.”

How to nominate:

Letters can be submitted by email to misswantagh@optonline.net or by mail to 2415 Bayview Avenue, Wantagh, NY, 11793, Attn: Ella Stevens.