of dropping out of school. Tepfer’s programs, Ellinghouse said, help them understand the importance of good decision-making early in life. “We offer them the chance to graduate,” Ellinghouse said. Tepfer’s programs help encourage them to stay in school.

Tepfer “is truly devoted to this community,” Ellinghouse said, “and she expresses it through actions. Her actions speak louder than words.”

Tepfer met her husband of 42 years, Karl, a clinical psychologist-turned-photographer, when the two were seventh-graders at Long Beach Junior High School. They have two grown sons, Brian and Scott, who both graduated from Kennedy High School and are chief executive officer and president, respectively, of We Sell Cellular Inc., an international wholesale cellular phone corporation. They live locally.

In addition to her work with the parent center, Tepfer sits on the Bellmore-Merrick Cultural Arts Foundation’s board of directors, and is currently the group’s vice president. She is a former president of the Reinhard Elementary School PTA, the Kennedy High School PTA and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District PTA Council. In addition, she has been involved with the Kennedy Sports Boosters Club.

We can think of few people more involved in the Bellmore-Merrick community, and few people more humble about their contributions to this community than Wendy Tepfer.