Friday, October 16, 2026
Grew up in Bellerose, Queens, and later moved to Elmont after marrying, Anthony Incorvaia has lived here since 1990 and spent his life finding ways to help and serve this community.
Before joining American Red Cross as a volunteer, Incorvaia, 76, worked as a financial analyst at the U.S. Postal Service for 35 years, and Puerto Rico was part of his area of responsibility. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Incorvaia saw the storm damage on television, saw the Red Cross on the ground, and decided to join the team.
He retired from the US Postal Service in May 2011. His daily routine as a Red Cross volunteer varies. For example, Incorvaia shared last week's routine with the Herald. He went to Syosset to pick up a 24-foot box truck, then drove it to Bethpage to meet the other volunteers. Together, they unloaded about six pallets of supplies to inspect the merchandise, repack it, and send it back to headquarters.
However, he described responding to Hurricane Ian in Florida as his most challenging volunteer experience in 2022; while helping people, they faced potential dangers from the storm and still had to make sure they had the supplies they needed on Long Island.
Earlier this year, the Red Cross recognized him for his volunteer leadership. As a volunteer leader, he said he monitors volunteer availability so the team can respond to planned storms and unexpected emergencies.
Before joining the American Red Cross, Incovaia coached a youth bowling ball team in Mineola in 2007. He started coaching after getting involved through his grandson. To him, the rewarding part of coaching was seeing the kids improve at whatever they were doing.
“The most rewarding part was the gratitude on some of the kids when you were able to help them improve what they were doing, helping them improve their game, and the gratitude they showed and felt that now they can see what we're talking about,” Incorvaia said. “That to me was the best part of doing that.”
One of his major successes as a bowling coach was helping a junior team win first place at a state championship in Syracuse, and he also managed league finances. However, he stepped back from coaching last year due to medical issues and devoted his time to the American Red Cross, while continuing his part-time job at Enterprise car rental, two days a week, since August 2011.
On top of that, during election season, Incorvaia works at Nassau County polling sites out of interest in the people working there. He works during early voting and on Election Day at Nassau County polling sites. The joy of helping others and seeing them satisfied and happy afterward makes him love his job.
Because of his community services in various fields, he’s known to his friends and colleagues as a “jack of all trades.” Jose Dominguez, Chapter CEO for the American Red Cross on Long Island, expressed his trust in Anthony, saying he’s willing to step up and do whatever is needed.
“He is a jack-of-all-trades, and he does so much behind the scenes to keep our organization running smoothly so we can help people when they need it most,” Dominguez said. “The Red Cross is lucky to have him as a volunteer, and Long Island is a better place to live because of the energy and compassion that Anthony delivers every single day."
Incorvaia sees volunteering as a way to give back to the community and encourage others to try volunteering, whatever interests them. “Don't be afraid to do it. Try, if you're not sure, try it out anyway. There will be somebody there to guide you and help you. It may not be what you enjoy, especially with the Red Cross,” said Incorvaia.
Moreover, he debunked people’s misconceptions about volunteering, since many misunderstand what it means. “I think a lot of people don't really understand what it means to be a volunteer and to devote, or when a person is a volunteer,” Incorvaia said. “ They don't really seem to understand that these people don't have to do what they're doing, and yet they're giving up their own time to help another person out.”
