Assemblywoman honors local women of distinction

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New York State Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Democrat of Valley Stream, hosted the “Women of Distinction Ceremony: Embracing Our Power,” at the Elmont Memorial High School on March 11. The ceremony honored 13 local women who have excelled in their careers and passions and inspired other women to work hard and become leaders. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, the county’s first female executive, said women have come a long way from when she was a child, advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment with her mother in Washington.
“If you work hard, get out of your comfort zone and surround yourself with good people, there’s nothing that you cannot accomplish,” Curran said to the women at the event.
Among the women honored were Lisa Lite-Rottmann and Donna and Marianne Moore. Lite-Rottmann is a long-time resident of Elmont as well as the president of the Argo Civic Association. She has served for decades with the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Service and advises community-based nonprofits that tackle substance abuse disorders. Donna and Marianne are the third generation at The Moore Funeral Home in Valley Stream, with Donna serving as the funeral director and former President of the Valley Stream Rotary Club. Solages thanked the Moores for their commitment to their family’s business and for helping the people of Valley Stream cope with the loss of loved ones.
“These women have made our communities a better and safer place,” Solages said.
This ceremony to empower women reminded Hempstead Town Clerk Sylvia Cabana, Hempstead’s first Latina town clerk, of last year’s election night, which was locally dubbed “Ladies’ Night.” She reminisced about the night of not only hers and Curran’s, but also Laura

Gillen’s victory as the first female Hempstead town supervisor. Sylvia thanked areas like Elmont and Freeport for
helping to swing the election in the
women’s favor.
“Remember that while we still have a lot to overcome, together we are strong,” Sylvia said.
Solages and New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky also emphasized that more needed to be done to help women succeed. While Kaminsky was proud that the glass ceilings in the county shattered last year, he said the process needed to be accelerated. He and Solages hope that 2018 can be a year that the community can look back on and see that a difference was made.