A shining star in his neighborhood

Making moves that gain momentum is not just a pastime for Vincent Toma — it is a mission. As president of the Franklin Square Norwood Park Civic Association for the last four years, Toma is willing to move mountains to help improve the lives of those in his community, which earned him a special award from the Town of Hempstead this month.

In a Nov. 9 ceremony at Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion in Hempstead, Supervisor Kate Murray honored Toma and other community members with a Make A Difference award. Toma, 44, was one of a dozen award recipients selected out of 150 nominations.

“When I won the award, I was proud and humble,” Toma said. “I was grateful to receive it. I received the award for being the voice of others.”

Extremely thankful for the recognition, Toma said he did not win the award alone. He believes that the members of the civic association won the award along with him, in which every person works together to fight for those in need, including a group of fearful parents upset about the Alternative Special Education students moving to Valley Stream North High School this year.

Toma spearheaded the group’s efforts to confront Valley Stream Central High School District administrators and board members about the matter. He spoke out and presented New York State education reports detailing statistics on violent incidents associated with Valley Stream schools at several Board of Education meetings. “I spoke on the parents’ behalf because they were afraid to speak,” he said. “You consider what to do to affect positive change and initiate that change with planning.”

As an advocate for residents, Toma develops proactive plans and wants to be a voice for others. This year, he is continuing to work with Nassau County officials to bring further beautification to Franklin Avenue and Rath Park, of which he is very proud. Specifically, he has asked for town and county assistance to improve the park’s pool and other surrounding grounds. And he has another goal to create further beautification around local schools. He recruits people for blood drives at Willow Road School in District 13.

Aside from beautification, Toma is also collaborating with the Nassau County 5th Precinct to increase safety and enforcement at Rath Park. He wants to prohibit anyone who may be dangerous from hanging out there.

“You have to identify what the root cause is and find out whether the cause of concern is fact or fiction,” he said. “You determine the severity of the problem, generate support to address the problem, and organize people who are in need of something and positively address the matter.”

Much of his plan is rooted in Toma’s desire to help others. Recently, Toma spent one night during a tornado directing traffic from the emergency room of New York Hospital Queens, where he is a senior project manager in the planning division. And he checks on his neighbors on a regular basis, even shoveling their snow in the winter, he said. “I am influenced by the spirit of volunteerism,” he said. “It is little things that matter. Much of what we can do is to consider our neighbors and seniors.”

In that spirit of service, Toma gives to charities whenever he can. And during election season, Toma helped campaign for some elected officials and worked the polls on Nov. 2. According to Toma, he taught his children about working the polls, and he asked his 10-year-old daughter to make phone calls to teach her about the government.

His wife, Jennifer, wanted to support her husband by nominating him for the award, and some community members wrote a letter to the Town of Hempstead about Toma. “Every year, the town sends a letter to every resident and I knew by reading it that my husband was 100 percent qualified for the award,” Jennifer Toma said. “He spends countless hours with the association dealing with a lot of issues. He is a great speaker and a great man.”

She added that the awards ceremony was wonderful. She said she was happy to see her husband recognized for all his hard work.

And Toma agrees with his wife. “It was a beautiful ceremony,” he said. “There were other worthy people selected. It was all about the spirit of volunteerism… the civic association exists because of volunteers who are committed to making Franklin Square a great place to live and work. Everyone in there gives freely of their time.”

Receiving the most nominations of all the other recipients, Toma said he is very thankful especially to his biggest supporters — his wife and children. “I enjoy the community spirit that happens when issues are discussed, presented and planned,” he said. “I get satisfaction out of people who genuinely say thank you. I encourage them to help others anyway they can.”

And Toma offers these words of advice for young people looking to make a difference: “Get involved in an issue, apply for internships, learn about various professions, and expose yourself to information,” he said. “See how the world works around you.”