Grassroots organization creating smiles across South Shore

Every Wednesday, the East Rockaway Senior Center is filled with smiling faces as members of Long Island CSS and Friends gather for different activities.
Donna Irving, the founder of the program, which is a grassroots organization that began in 2014 and offers adults with disabilities a way to socialize, said she was inspired to get involved because her son Robert, 14, has autism.
“I got into all of this because of him,” Irving said. “I saw that there was such a disconnect in the system and services and the connections to other families.”
Irving, an East Rockaway resident, said that the CSS initially stood for Consolidated Support Services, but eventually it was changed to Community Socialization and Support.
The organization has ties with local businesses, which offer places for members to spend time together. In addition, it works with the Old Bethpage-based Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, or FREE, an assisted-living facility that aims to help individuals of all abilities reach their full potential, according to its website.

“My goal mostly for our guys and girls is to provide them with low-cost or free events and things to do that will better benefit the disabled community,” Irving said.
In addition to dedicating her time to the organization, Irving also works part-time at Self Direction, which helps support individuals and teaches them how to become independent. In that role, she teaches individuals daily living skills, money management and social cues.
Irving said that residents of Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Oceanside, East Meadow and other places along the South Shore get together regularly for the organization’s events, which include Game Nights at the Merrick Jewish Centre and karaoke sing-alongs. They also partake in themed events such as a spring fling, a Valentine’s Day dance, a Halloween party and an annual Thanksgiving feast. In addition, the program hosts nutrition classes, cooking exercises, meets at local pools and members gather to discuss the challenges they face in their lives.
Irving said LICSS is geared mostly toward adults 18 and older, but she frequently organizes Game Nights for teenagers, and there are many activities in the summer for all ages.
LICSS and Friends also hosts meetings at the Rockville Centre Library once a month from September to June. At these events, the organization invites families who have children with disabilities and offers them information on where they can turn to in order to get the support that they need.
“It’s such a need,” Irving said. “We’re trying to really do a lot for the Nassau County South Shore community. … Everything is word of mouth in this community, so our goal is to help other families out there that don’t know where to go and don’t know what to do.”
For more information about the program, visit Longislandcssandfriends.com or “like” Long Island CSS and Friends on Facebook.