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Valley Stream youth group brings teens together
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Billy Gunn; Age: 16; School: Valley Stream Central,
10th grade; Time in Youth Council: One year; Why he joined: “I enjoy the fact that I can meet people from across town. It also gives you some community service, too.”; Favorite group activity: Clean-up project at Harvest House
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Colunis Calvert; Age: 13' School: Christ Lutheran, 8th grade; Time in Youth Council: One year; Why he joined: “I’ve always been interested in helping my community and just giving back.”; Favorite group activity: Clean-up at Harvest House. “I think everyone should help the elderly because that’s like helping your grandparents and it’s the right thing to do.”
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Barbara Badio; Age: 16; School: Memorial Junior High, 9th grade; Time in Youth Council: One year; Why she joined: Heard about the Youth Council from a friend. “She said it’s a good way to meet new people.”; Favorite group activity: Collecting toys for Holy Name of Mary parish outreach.
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Karla Moronta; Age: 17; School: Valley Stream Central, 12th grade; Time in Youth Council: Five years; Why she joined: “I really like helping the community.” Karla has volunteered at Franklin Hospital and been an altar served at Blessed Sacrament Church for nine years.; Favorite group activity: Annual park clean-up. She describes herself as an environmentalist.
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Ken Heino, 31, a 1996 graduate of South High School, has been president of the village Youth Board since 2001.
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Megan Mazza; Age: 15; School: Valley Stream North, 10th grade; Time in Youth Council: Four years; Why she joined: “It sounded like a great opportunity to make new friends and to give back to the community.”; Favorite group activity: Clean-up at Harvest House. She enjoys talking to the elderly residents. “They’re really nice. They have a lot of wisdom to share.”
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Tom Gunn; Age: 13; School: Memorial Junior High, 8th grade; Time in Youth Council: One year; Why he joined: “I like the different kinds of people that you meet.”; Favorite group activity: Clean-up at Harvest House
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
Ethan Martin; Age: 16; School: Valley Stream Central, 10th grade; Time in Youth Council: Three years; Why he joined: “I wanted to help make Valley Stream a greater place.”; Favorite group activity: Monthly guest speakers. “I like to learn about different careers, and how different people in the community are helping each other.”
Andrew Hackmack/Herald
The Valley Stream Youth Council is a community-service oriented group open to teens in grades 7-12. Annual activities include a clean-up of Hendrickson Park, fundraising car wash and toy drive.
Youth Council members also go to Harvest House twice a year helping to clean up the property, put in and take out air conditioning units, set up patio furniture and clean windows. Harvest House is a home for the well elderly in Floral Park.
Youth Board President Ken Heino said the teens and seniors spend much time each visit just talking. “They trade generational stories, what it was like growing up then and now,” he said.
The Youth Council has monthly meetings at Memorial Junior High School featuring guest speakers who talk about their careers, or service activities available in the community.
“Valley Stream has a lot of great youth,” Heino said. “There’s a lot of good kids out there that want to be a part of the community they grew up in and live in. The Youth Council is that channel that allows them to do service for the community.”
Karla Moronta said she wants to make Valley Stream a better place, and enjoys the smiles she sees from people when she can make a difference. “Even if it’s a small difference,” she said, “it makes you feel good.”
To join, teenagers must live in the village or be a student in the Valley Stream Central High School District.
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