For Valley Stream officials and community leaders, 2017 is a fresh start

When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve and the ball drops in Times Square, for many people it signals a new beginning and a chance to make good on their resolutions.

Working as a psychiatrist for 35 years at Zucker-Hillside Hospital, Dr. Victor Fornari has encountered many patients who make resolutions to improve different facets of their lives when facing a new year, and entering 2017 was no exception.

“I think New Year’s resolutions have been designed to kind of motivate people for self-improvement,” said Fornari, who works as a director in the division of child and adolescence psychiatry. “We know people often want to change some behavior, whether it has to do with stopping to smoke cigarettes, to exercise more, eat in a more healthy fashion or spend more time with family. For everyone, it’s sort of a life goal as they take stock of the year before and think about the year ahead.”

Fornari noted that he believes it’s difficult for many people to keep their resolutions because the behaviors they want to change are often hard to overcome. He said the good thing about resolutions is that they offer an opportunity to see if people can change and better themselves. “Hopefully people can make some modifications so that they can accomplish their goals,” he said.

Fornari added that he often motivates patients who have resolutions by educating them on why making the change is important. He also recommended that those who are looking to make improvements on their lives should consult their primary care doctor.

“Behavior is very difficult to change,” Fornari said. “I think there’s a reason why people are set in their ways. There could be many reasons why these resolutions are difficult to accomplish. They take initiative and energy to fulfill them.”

One popular New Year’s resolution annually is an increase in gym memberships as many people look to better their health. Saida Kendall, the assistant manager at Lucille Roberts on Merrick Road in Valley Stream, said the gym receives its highest quota of membership in January.

“We always see a spike in people a week before the new year starts because a lot of people want to get a head start,” Kendall explained. “I think it’s a combination of people knowing gyms are anxious to get people in around this time and the ‘New Year, New Me’ motto.”

Like many of Fornari’s patients, new clientele at the gym find it hard to keep their resolutions. Kendall said the gym offers a lot of good discounts during the holidays, but often sees a decline in participants after January. “Unfortunately that has been the case,” Kendall said. “Retention is always a challenge with a gym.”

2017 in Valley Stream

For 2017, Mayor Ed Fare said there are several plans on the horizon within the Village of Valley Stream.

“As always, a new year brings the promise of hope and new beginnings — a fresh start,” Fare said.

According to Fare, some of the changes heading into 2017 include the continuing transformation of the village, the downtown area and within the Parks and Recreation department. He added that the village would also continue to modernize its fleet of vehicles, including the Valley Stream Fire Department.

The new courthouse on 195 Rockaway Avenue, which the village purchased in 2011, will also be operational sometime in 2017, while the existing courthouse at village hall will be transformed into a theater for performing arts and other library programs.

The Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce also has many goals this year, which include reaching out to the new residents of multi-family units within the Sun Valley Apartments on Cottage Street and the Sun Valley Towers on Brooklyn Avenue.

“We want to reach out to the new residents of the multi-family apartments that are starting to be occupied in and around the downtown,” said chamber President Dominick Minerva. “We are currently putting together welcome packages to distribute to the residents of the new buildings with promotional material from our members.”

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Valley Stream Lions Club, and the group has plenty of goals and aspirations.

Club President Janet Mahabir said that its youth program, Leadership Experience and Opportunity, will partner with schools in Valley Stream and Elmont to encourage children to join LEO, make new friends, network and develop their individuality.

The club will also look to eradicate hunger with food drives, host many fundraising events throughout the year and help detect childhood vision issues by working with Lions Kid Sight USA, a nationwide program that safeguards the vision of children during early childhood, to provide free eye screenings.

Mahabir emphasized that she’s hoping to boost membership in the club. The Lions Club presently has 49 members, but for its 100th year, Mahabir said the group is looking to make its presence more apparent within the community.

“We would like to give back to our community,” Mahabir said. “I personally am trying to put the Valley Stream Lions Club into a more visible arena where people can know who we are and what we do, what we’re all about and where we’re going with our community service in an effort to serve everyone.”

Religious leaders

Pastor Sherby Clarke joined the Valley Stream Baptist Church in 2006 and heading into his 11th year with the parish, he had a direct message for the New Year.

“Just put God first in all things,” Clarke said. “I think that’s the most important thing. If everybody would do that, then what a world we would live in. See God’s kingdom first and then doing that will affect every other area of a person’s life. Morally, spiritually, religiously, socially, mentally and emotionally from a clinical perspective.”

Mufti Mohammad Farhan, a religious consultant at the Masjid Hamza mosque in Valley Stream, said that three points from his last sermon could be applied to 2017: (1) Never lose hope, because opportunities are always opening up in life, (2) strive to be the greatest individual in one’s field, and (3) to never forget the Lord.

Farhan said the congregation offers many programs for young children and is looking to bridge the gap between the youth and adults by bringing them together.

“You can never be a believer until you love for others like you love for yourself,” Farhan said. “We should just take this theme for people for 2017. I want comfort for myself, peace for myself and for my loved ones.”