Kiwanians honor six at ceremony

Award recipients Harry Conklin, left, Mayor Francis Lenahan, Rev. Mark Lukens, Dan Caracciolo, and Don Poland at the podium. Melissa Van Wickler was not in attendance.

Courtesy Steve Takacs

The award recipients, their friends and family, and fellow Kiwanians at the dinner dance at the Oceanside Knights of Columbus.

Courtesy Steve Takacs

Rev. Mark Lukens accepted his award from Kiwanian Richard Meagher.

Courtesy Steve Takacs

Kiwanis President Charles Hirschberg with recipient Don Poland.

Courtesy Steve Takacs

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The East Rockaway Kiwanis Club held its annual Community Awards dinner dance on Sept. 21, with many members of the Bay Park and East Rockaway communities turning out to honor six individuals for their achievements and service to the community. The event was held at the Oceanside Knights of Columbus.

The Person of the Year was Don Poland, a social studies teacher at East Rockaway Junior/Senior High School. Poland makes sure his high school students know what “paying it forward” means, leading by example as he also does with the Junior High School Kiwanis “Builders Club” he advises. He helped students to pitch in locally after Sandy struck, and went outside of his own community when a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma and again — acting on a student’s request — when a toxic chemical spill contaminated the drinking water in the greater Charleston, West Virginia area.

Kiwanian of the Year was Harry Conklin, the retired superintendent of the Department of Public Works for the Village of East Rockaway. Conklin retired years ago, but his work for East Rockaway Kiwanis has been ongoing. If there’s a Kiwanis pancake breakfast, Conklin is in the kitchen, preparing the pancakes and sausages. If there is a barbecue, he’s in charge of the grill — or he’s taking tickets at the door, or assisting with the raffle prizes. Wherever he is, Conklin is getting things done.

Public Official of the Year was East Rockaway Mayor and Kiwanian Fran Lenahan.

The fourth consecutive Kiwanian mayor to serve, he led the Village through the period of Sandy and the community’s ongoing recovery. A retired Nassau County detective and a veteran, he put the finishing touch to the Village’s 9/11 Memorial in Memorial Park by having two steel girders from the World Trade Center erected as the gateway to the memorial.

Heroes of the storm

The Kiwanians also named three individuals as “Heroes of the Storm” — those who helped and are continuing to help their community recover from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. These honorees were Reverend Mark Lukens, pastor of Bethany Congregational Church; Dan Caracciolo, a banker and community activist; and local activist Melissa Van Wickler.