Devoted to Seaford

Donald Paulson may have grown up in New York City, but when he moved to Seaford 30 years ago, he quickly adapted to the suburbs. His life became about schools, Scouts and sports.

In three decades, Paulson, 65, has racked up a community service record that would impress even the most civic-minded individual. For his work serving the people of Seaford, he was named an honorary starter for this Saturday’s Hot Chocolate Run, hosted by the Seaford Wellness Council.

Paulson and Karen Cass, the Chamber of Commerce’s Small Businessperson of the Year, will send the more than 800 expected runners off on a 5K loop that begins and ends at Seaford High School. “I think the reason I got chosen is they see me at a lot of things,” he said. “They only pick one person per year out of how many thousands and thousands of people that live in Seaford. I feel pretty good about it.”

Last month, he received a call from Wellness Council President Michael DiSilvio, who told him that he was the group’s selection to join Cass, a real estate agent and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce. Paulson was a front-runner to be last year’s honorary starter, but was on vacation in Europe, a trip he and his wife, Christine, took to celebrate his retirement from Verizon.

This year, Paulson is getting the recognition for his years of service. He has been a member of the Seaford Lions Club for the past 10 years, and was president from 2007 to 2010. He will also be one of the coordinators of the 2016 blood drive. Held the first Saturday of February, it is typically one of the biggest single-day blood collections on Long Island.

The group also helps the blind. During his presidency, the Lions raised money to train seeing-eye dog, which could have been sent anywhere in the United States. Soon after his wife became president, the dog, Clifford, received its assignment. “How this happened, they picked a guy from Seaford,” Paulson said, noting that the man was then in his early 20s. “Our dog helped this kid out.”

When Paulson’s father started going blind 11 years ago, he sought a way to help, and learned that curing blindness is a mission of the Lions Club. That’s what got him involved with the local chapter. “I needed something to do,” he said, noting that his children were grown and out of school. “It seemed like the perfect charity. It has been very rewarding.”

Serving Seaford’s youth

The Boy Scouts organization has also become part of Paulson’s life. His is an assistant scoutmaster for Troop 239, and is one of two leaders who mentors aspiring Eagle Scouts. Paulson got involved with the Scouts when his son, D.J., was little.

D.J., an Eagle Scout, is now 28 and out of scouting for 10 years, but Paulson has remained as a leader. He said it keeps him busy. Last week alone he had a Scout meeting Monday, an Eagle Scout review on Tuesday, then was master of ceremonies for an Eagle Court of Honor on Saturday.

Paulson said that becoming a Scout leader gave him a crash course in one of the organization’s most noted hobbies. “At the time, my idea of camping was to go to the Holiday Inn,” he said. “I had to learn.”

When his children were little, he coached PAL softball, baseball and soccer and for the Seaford Little League. He has been a volunteer at the St. William the Abbot Church’s annual family festival, for the Newbridge swim team and for the Hot Chocolate Run. On Sunday, he delivered fliers to all homes along the course, to let residents know about the road closings.

After starting the race, Paulson plans to run as part of a centipede team, and said he will be dressed as an elf.

When his children were in school, he became involved in the Seaford’s Shared Decision Making Team, which was established in 1994 as a school and community partnership to set goals for the district. His daughter, Beth, now 35, was then a freshman in high school, and the team established the Renaissance Program as a rewards system for students. His son was at Manor elementary and the committee sought ways to boost the school’s reading program.

Awards on Paulson’s resumé include Melvin Jones Fellowship — the highest honor in the Lions Club — Seaford Lion of the Year and Empire Angel Award for community service. He was also a 2010 recipient of the Seaford 9/11 Committee’s Honorary Patriot Award.

“He’s the consummate Seaford resident, cares about people, cares about the community,” said Peter Ruffner, secretary of the Wellness Council. “He’s just a wonderful guy.”

Ruffner described Paulson as the heart and soul of Seaford and noted that the work he does with the Boy Scouts, particularly the Eagle Scouts, is “extremely impressive.”

Donald and Christine have been married for 36 years. Their son is a teacher and was recently married, and their daughter works in law enforcement. Donald enjoys cooking and was once an accomplished cake decorator. He also roots for the Jets, Yankees and Islanders, and likes reading and puzzles.

Writer Paulo Coelho once said, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.” That is the quote that Paulson said he lives by. “That’s why I do volunteer work,” he said. “If I help the people, that changes the world.”