Are you seeing stars in East Rockaway?

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

Courtesy Dan Caracciolo

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If you’ve been walking around Bay Park and the Village of East Rockaway seeing stars, it’s not your imagination.

Thanks to the Texas-based, not-for-profit Stars of Hope organization, and the initiative of local resident MaryKate Lynch to bring the idea to her hometown, the beautiful, colorful and inspirational painted stars have been designed and hung around the community.

“I heard about Stars of Hope and contacted them, and we arranged an event for the kids,” Lynch said. The children, ages 3 to 20 and mostly scouts, decorated the 175 pre-cut stars at Bethany Congregational Church last weekend, with the help of First Step Ministries. “Jeanine,” who brought the stars, was a flood victim herself from Howard Beach, and helped get the children along with the project.

Lynch and other volunteers sat down with a map and charted out where to display the stars. “We went up and down Ocean Avenue … and anyone who get wet [due to the storm] was able to see a star of hope nearby.

“It was uplifting, inspirational thing for the kids to do,” Lynch said. “It shows that we’re unbreakable and strong.”

See more Stars of Hope scattered around the pages of this issue of the Herald.