Monday, May 12, 2025
Howie’s Heart, a Franklin Square-based nonprofit, commemorated their one year anniversary at the Franklin Square Public Library on Feb. 13. The nonprofit’s founders Jen Camacho, James Conklin and Melissa Cox honored outstanding volunteers and community partners during the evening’s celebration.
The first recipient of the Outstanding Community Partner Award was the Franklin Square Public Library, which Camacho said has been friendly and giving to the nonprofit and the community.
Daphne Levy, the library’s teen librarian, received the “Heart of Kindness” award. Camacho recalled how surprised and excited Levy was when Camacho first asked about hosting community service events at the library.
The second recipient of the community partner award was Sandy’s Party Supply, owned by the Arora family, which donates every single balloon that Howie’s Heart uses for their events. Camacho gives out one balloon to a volunteer who has shown the highest level of involvement at each event, as well.
There were dozens of balloons at the anniversary celebration, and community service events were available to guests throughout the evening. Attendees took cards, wrote a message of kindness on it and attached it balloons to give to a stranger or friend.
“My favorite memory of Howie’s Heart, I guess, is just something like this,” Tracey Fox, who is affiliated with the party supply business, said of the event. “Getting the community together, spreading kindness.”
Camacho gave the Compassionate Ally Award to Jessica Nacinovich and Bianca Vazquez. They are both occupational therapists who started volunteering with Howie’s Heart at a Spectrum of Service event. During this event, kids of all abilities got a chance to perform acts of service.
“Everything about these events, you can feel the love, and you know that it’s coming from a place of altruism,” Vazquez said. “Not only do these events give you the opportunity to do good, but you feel good.”
Camacho gave the Outstanding Volunteer Award to Elizabeth Pipitone and Sandy Corsetti.
Pipitone is a child volunteer who organized the “In Our Kindness Era” event. According to Camacho, she became the first community member to lead her own service event with the nonprofit.
After Howie’s Heart helped Corsetti’s family, Corsetti began baking, driving long distances, raising funds, and helping the nonprofit in many other ways. She was a big part of the Kids Need More Holiday Cheer Bus.
“Sandy’s determination and can-do attitude has left a lasting impression on our Howie’s Heart family,” Camacho said.
Camacho said the Kids Need More Holiday Cheer Bus event is her favorite memory from their first year of Howie’s Heart. Kids Need More is an organization that raises funds to load holiday presents on 50 buses and deliver them to 1,500 local children the Sunday before Christmas every year. When the buses arrive, the “elves” carol, dance and do scavenger hunts.
Camacho said the nonprofit was also able to raise over $11,000 by hosting three hot cocoa stands in the community.
“I’ll never forget the first hot cocoa stand that we did,” Camacho said. “We could just watch our money jar getting bigger and bigger. We were like, ‘Oh my gosh! We can hardly fit any more money in this jar!’”
Madison Duckworth operated the hot cocoa stands along with her parents, Ken and Jaime Duckworth, and her brother, Landon Duckworth. The entire Duckworth family received the Outstanding Volunteer Family Award.
“It feels like I didn’t really need an award, because I just love to help out the community,” Madison said.
Landon organized his own volunteer-led event where the community put together food bags for the homeless. He said he went to a Howie’s Heart event and joined their summer camp. “We got a lot closer,” he said of the nonprofit. “I decided, ‘Ya know what? I think people need more.’”
Johnny Ray, a member of Kids Need More, said despite the short amount of time they’ve known Howie’s Heart, they are already blown away by how amazing the nonprofit is.
At the end of the ceremony, Jaime took to the podium and gave a speech about Camacho. Ken donated all the award plaques, so the family was able to make one for Camacho, too.
As Conklin spoke of his sister, his eyes welled up.
“I have two little girls right now, six months old,” he said. “I would love nothing more for them than for them to grow up and emulate how she goes about her daily life.”
