Showing limitless compassion, and a Lion's heart

George Brennan knows what it means to give back, because he’s been doing it his whole life.

He may be the president of the Seaford Lions Club for the past three years, yet Brennan goes far beyond that when he shows just why the Lions’ motto is “we serve.”

The Seaford club has long helped organize blood drives, grow other service-oriented clubs, donate money to outreach centers, and other seemingly countless acts of kindness.

Yet, all of that is in a day’s work for George Brennan. And it’s why he is this year’s Seaford Herald Person of the Year.

“If you do it often enough, it becomes second nature to you,” he said.

Growing up on Staten Island, Brennan learned the importance of taking on responsibilities after becoming an altar boy at his local church. He remembers the obligation of getting ready for morning Mass, not wanting to disappoint in his key role during worship services.

That responsibility translated to his time working as a paper boy, delivering to some 230 customers. Brennan would spend many days folding newspapers, dropping them off to customers, and knocking on doors to get new subscribers and bolster his route.  

Then, he became a caddy, making money off tips from carrying golfers’ bags. Brennan remembers coming home only to hand over his caddy fees to his father so he could have money available during snowy and rainy days when he wasn’t working. Yet, his father let Brennan keep his tips. And because of that, the young up-and-comer worked harder to become a better caddy just so he could get better tips. And once he did start doing that, he learned to be responsible with money, knowing that hard work pays off.

“It's something I've taught my kids,” Brennan said. “Become better at your job and what you're doing, you'll reap the rewards.”

Being a paper boy and caddy helped Brennan learn the basics of business, and prepared him for a future in entrepreneurship. He is now the president of Leaner Meaner Greener Inc., a resource management consulting firm, as well as Telesis Communication Services Inc., a telecom management firm he co-founded in 1998.

Brennan moved from Staten Island to Seaford in 1997, joining Rotary and helped start the Seaford Kiwanis club. A decade later, he was invited to a Seaford Lions Club meeting, and he’s been a member since.

Brennan now resides in Amityville, but he remains close with the Seaford community through the Lions, describing the club as like-minded individuals coming together to benefit his community — and the greater world.

“Our reach is international as well as local,” he said.

The Lions Club is an international service organization with 1.4 million members a part of 40,000 clubs throughout the world. In Seaford, the Lions financially back food pantries, give out scholarships, organize fundraisers, support youth organizations, and transport corneas through the Lions Eye Bank of Long Island.

Charles Wroblewski understands what it’s like to be in Brennan’s role, because he was president of the Seaford Lions for five years.

“Being active in organizations and helping others, it’s good for your health,” Wroblewski said.

One of the most important activities Brennan’s proud of is the club’s annual blood drive each February because it saves lives. Each unit of blood collected helps save up to three lives — or more — depending on how it’s allocated.

“We're proud to get over 100-plus people in to donate that first cold Saturday morning in February,” Brennan said. “Rain, sunshine or snow.”

Even during the pandemic, blood drives happened by renting out the Seaford American Legion and requiring masking and social distancing.

Instead of one large drive during the year, Brennan spread out the drives, hosting up to five during the coronavirus period. Each drive had between 30 and 40 donors, providing critical resources when they were needed the most.

“I felt that there were things that we could do as Lions, to benefit people that were shut in,” Brennan said, “including some of our members that needed to socialize and get out.”

In addition to blood drives, Brennan has helped encourage others to commit to volunteer work. He’s helped with recruitment drives for the Seaford Lions, and says it takes as little as one hour of your day to make a difference in someone’s life.

According to Wroblewski, seeing someone who is so passionate about helping others — such as Brennan — is inspiring.

“When you have a dedicated leader, you draw more people in and you get more involved,” he said.

Even Brennan’s 9-year-old granddaughter, Julianna, helps. She would ride with him for parish food deliveries at the Church of St. Martin in Amityville, and helps with the Seaford blood drive’s poster contest, where students from the school district create a poster to promote the drive.

Julianna enjoys volunteering, Brennan says, and she doesn’t even need to be asked.

“She does it all on our own now, so you don't even have to coax her,” he said. “It's just part of her way.”

Brennan is proud of the volunteer work his Lions Club does for people in-need. The Seaford club is very active, getting involved with school districts and chambers of commerce to improve the community.

“I don't know if we're a role model club, but I know that a lot of other clubs pay note to what we're doing and try and emulate us,” Brennan said. “And that's the most sincere form of flattery.”

Brennan believes in the saying, “It’s better to give than to receive,” and says he’s not looking for a pat on the back. Giving back is something he feels human beings should do, and is part of his faith in following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ — doing unto others as we would want others do unto us.

For George Brennan, just one hour of your time can mean a lot to someone’s life.

“I think the more you do it, and the younger you get involved, it's not a chore,” Brennan said. “It's a privilege to be able to do that.”