From one generation to the next, South Shore civic leader thanks this volunteer from Valley Stream

Hewlett Woodmere Business Association President David Friedman is lifting the next generation of civic service leaders on the South Shore.

Friedman took Amil Virani, of Valley Stream, out to lunch at Ay! Caramba! on July 23 as a show of gratitude for Virani’s continued service with the Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association and the Hew-lett-Woodmere Public Schools Endowment Fund.

“He’s a very cooperative and very community-oriented guy,” Friedman said of Virani, a 2019 graduate of Lawrence High School.

The informal honor of being taken to lunch is something Friedman tries to do for local volunteers often.

“We normally try to get students or adults who have been outstanding,” Friedman said.

Virani, a local advocate in Valley Stream and a Gibson resident, always seeks to keep abreast of what is happening in both communities. His involvement in both is partly a product of circumstances. He is a resident of the Village of Valley Stream who lives in the Hewlett-Woodmere public school district.

“Civic service is really just using your knowledge, skills, and talents and using it to help other people and give back to one’s community,” said Virani, who connected with Friedman in 2021 when he moved into the Hewlett-Woodmere district from Cedarhurst, which is in the Lawrence school district.

“I wanted to get to know the community more — I wanted to get involved,” Virani said. “I don’t want to be someone that lives under a rock.”

Before graduating from high school, Virani volunteered at district events such as the ice-skating night hosted by Hewlett High.

Virani also assisted in the operations of the last three Hewlett-Woodmere Memorial Day parades, Arts Below Sunrise, a street festival along Broadway in Hewlett and Woodmere and other local events.

“I think a really big highlight I really enjoy is Arts Below Sunrise because everyone from the community has a good time,” Virani said.

Through his service, Virani said he learned a lot, in terms of how to host events, how to manage pressure and balancing his work auditing, with volunteering.

“I enjoy helping David,” he said. “He just helps make things seamless or organized. It’s not hard to do.”

While his volunteering takes place in Hewlett and his public advocacy in Valley Stream, Virani says that both communities share a host of “friendly people” that make him feel concerned and connected to both, despite the more fractious exchanges residents may have on the local Facebook groups.

Recently, Friedman also recognized volunteer Sebastian Pampalone, a recent graduate of Hewlett High School this year, as his trusted assistant.

“I help with whatever David asks me to do with him,” Pampalone said.

Pampalone met Friedman through his Boy Scouts troop, Troop 20, where Friedman often helps.

“I’ve known Dave for a long time, maybe seven or eight years,” Pampalone said.

In his years volunteering for Friedman, Pampalone also helped organize the Memorial Day Parade, along with other projects, such as cleaning up a Hempstead lake and local gravesites.

Pampalone will be recognized for becoming an Eagle Scout on Aug. 25. His project to earn this prestigious honor was refurbishing the stage in Trinity- St. John’s Church at 1142 Broadway in Hewlett. Earlier this year, he went to New Mexico where he helped to build trails in a campsite, to make it more accessible for those with disabilities.

“Dave just takes me out to lunch,” Pampalone said of one of the multiple ways Friedman says thank you for his service. “He posts me on his Instagram a lot, too. He’s a really good guy, that’s really funny.”

Pampalone plans to continue his service while attending Nassau Community College, in the fall. Virani, an auditor for New York State with a packed schedule, sees himself volunteering for as long as he can.

To become involved with the Hewlett Woodmere Business Association, visit HWBA.org.

Additional reporting by Juan Lasso.