Category Archives: Smiles

Annual Toy Drive

By   December 20, 2023

Our Annual Toy Drive was a huge success!!! Through Lee Avenue School, we were able to adopt 7 families and bring holiday cheer to 16 children with toys and gift cards. Hopefully this will put a smile on their faces Christmas morning. This was made possible by the efforts of the Community Service Committee, chaired by Christina Mirro. Thank you to all our members who sent in donations and a special thank you to R&R Dental and the Simonello Family through The Plaza Marine Group for their generous monetary donations. We hope that the HGCA can, in a small way, help to bring a Happy Holiday Season to those in need within our community. The staff at Lee Avenue School were taken aback by the number of gifts received and couldn’t thank us enough.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Thanksgiving Food Drive 2023

By   November 18, 2023

Thank you…. Through Lee Avenue School, the HGCA was able to provide a Thanksgiving dinner and much more to three families. A generous gift card was presented to each family to help them fill their pantries and table with food for the holiday season.

Thank you to all our members who sent in monetary donations.

Have a Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving!

Annual Food and Toy Drives

By   December 16, 2022

Thanks to the wondrous generosity of our members, the civic was able to provide Thanksgiving meals and gift cards to three families in the community to help them refill their pantry this season.

In addition, we were able to provide toys for 16 children across 7 families to ensure smiles this holiday season for those who are less fortunate.

We extend our thanks our members, to the family of John Simonello, and to the Plaza Marine group for helping us support these Hicksville families.

Thank you to Lee Ave school for their ongoing partnership in identifying the families and helping distribute the gifts.

Many thanks to our Community Service committee, chaired by Chris and Nick Mirro, for their tireless labor in shopping for all the goods and packaging, and to Irene Guarasci for the extra set of hands in wrapping the record setting number of presents provided by the civic.

We wish everyone a very happy and safe Holiday season!

Food Drive

By   November 24, 2021

The holiday season is a time to support the families in our community who are less fortunate.  Through Lee Avenue School, the HGCA was able to provide a Thanksgiving dinner and much more to three families.  A generous gift card was presented to each family to help them fill their pantries and table with food for the holiday season

A special thank you to all our members who sent in donations.

Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!!

Stay Well and Stay Safe!!

Pictured: Left to right, Mrs. Stephanie Stam, principal of Lee Avenue School, Marissa Wilson Pressler, School Psychologist,
Christina and Nick Mirro of Hicksville Gardens Civic Association, and Danielle Tanzi, Social Worker.

HGCA Community Service Committee
Christina & Nick Mirro 
Joan Goessmann 

Printers Donated to Lee Ave School

By   January 25, 2021

Through the generous donation of one of our members, Tom McGovern, the Community Service Committee has donated 4 printers to Lee Avenue School to supplement their IT capabilities.

Thank you to committee chairs Nick and Chris Mirro for their ongoing efforts to encourage smiles and giving in the community.

Our Annual Toy Drive

By   December 14, 2020

The holiday season is a time to support the families in our community who are less fortunate.  With help from Lee Avenue School, we were able to adopt nine families.  We were able to bring cheer this holiday season to fourteen children.

Thank you to all the members who sent in donations and a special thank you to the Simonello Family (Lorraine & Jennifer), who in honor of their father (a Past Board Member) and through Jennifer’s work company, The Plaza Marine Group, also donated toys for each child. Thank you for your generous donation. 

I want to thank my daughter, Michelle Humann, for helping me shop this year and my husband Nick for helping me with the endless wrapping.

The staff at Lee Avenue School were taken aback by the amount of gifts received, and couldn’t thank us enough.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

STAY SAFE!!

Christina & Nick Mirro – Co-Chairs

Joan Goessmann – Co-Chair

From left – Chris and Nick Mirro of HGCA, Stephanie Stam – Principal of Lee Ave. School and Maria Misiano-Ippolito – school nurse
Donations from the Simonello Family sponsored by The Plaza Marine Group

HGCA Helps Families in Our Community Give Thanks

By   November 22, 2020

The holiday season is a time to support the families in our community who are less fortunate. With help from Lee Ave School, the HGCA was able to provide a Thanksgiving dinner and much more to three families.  A generous gift card was presented to each family to help them fill their pantries and table with food for the holiday season.

Pictured: Left to right, Nick Mirro of Hicksville Gardens Civic, Mrs. Stephanie Stam, principal of Lee Avenue School, Maria Misiano-Ippolito, Lee Avenue’s nurse and Christina Mirro

Thank you to all our members who sent in donations, especially the Simonello family for their continuous generous donation that provided enough food for one family.

Have a Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving!

Stay Well and Stay Safe!

2018 Scholarship Awards

By   June 20, 2018

At the June 2018 general meeting, scholarships were awarded to 8 deserving students this year. After receiving their awards, each of the students gave a speech to thank the sponsors and the civic, as well as to note their intended area of study.

Back row: Delco representative Richard Rush, President Nicholas Sarandis, Marie Dunker, 
Elaine Simonello, Neal Dubon, Perfect Pharmacy representatives Saleena & Tiffany, 
Perillo representative Lou Messaro
Front row: Adithya Ajith, Salaiha Mughal, Amina Nasari, Krista Meyers, Michael Salvo, 
Sonali Malhotra, Srishti Tyagi, Neeloy Bose

Recipients have the following plans for study upon graduation:

Name Plans Sponsor
Adithya Ajith attending SUNY Stony Brook, studying Computer Science Delco Plaza (Richard Rush)
Salaiha Mughal attending Cornell University, studying Biological Science HGCA
Amina Nasari attending SUNY Stony Brook, studying Biological Science HGCA
Krista Meyers attending SUNY Albany, studying Pre-Med & Psychology HGCA – John P. Simonello
Michael Salvo attending Police Academy, studying Political Science Mary E. Dubon
Sonali Malhotra attending SUNY Binghamton, studying Biology Perfect Pharmacy
Srishti Tyagi attending SUNY Stony Brook, studying Chemistry;

then Cornell, studying Biological Science

Perfect Pharmacy
Neeloy Bose attending Northeastern University, studying Chemical Engineering Perillo Oil

We’d like to thank all of our sponsors for their generosity and their participation.  We’d also like to extend our thanks to Marie Dunker and the rest of the Scholarship Committee for their hard work in organizing this year’s scholarship program.

2017 Scholarship Awards

By   June 10, 2017

At the June 2017 general meeting, scholarships were awarded to 8 deserving students this year. After receiving their awards, each of the students gave a gracious speech to thank the sponsors and the civic, as well as to note their intended area of study.

Back row: Walter Grebe, Principal Raymond Williams, Ryan Wimbiscus, President Nicholas Sarandis
Front row: Shana Mathew, Fatemah Mukadum, Cecilia Funk, Nicole Titko, Jason Yang, Nolan Mingst, 
Assemblyman Michael Montesano

Recipients have the following plans for study upon graduation:

Name Plans Sponsor
Ryan Wimbiscus attending NCC for two years, then transferring, studying Business HGCA – John P Simonello
Shana Mathew attending Brooklyn Poly, studying Pre-Med HGCA
Walter Grebe attending SUNY Stony Brook, studying Computer Engineering Delco Plaza
Fatema Mukadum attending Northeastern University, studying Chemistry Foodtown
Nicole Titko attending Eastern Florida State, studying Crime Scene Technology Mary E. Dubon
Cecilia Funk attending LIU Brooklyn, studying Nursing Perfect Pharmacy
Jason Yang attending Vanderbilt University, studying Biology/Surgery Perfect Pharmacy
Nolan Mingst attending SUNY Buffalo, studying Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering Perillo Oil

We’d like to thank all of our sponsors for their generosity and their participation.  We’d also like to extend our thanks to Marie Dunker and the rest of the Scholarship Committee for their hard work in organizing this year’s scholarship program.