The Kiwanis Club of Oceanside celebrated its 80th anniversary on Oct. 16 with an evening of music, food and recognition of two community leaders, Michael Puma and Allison Glickman Rogers.
Held at Temple Avodah, the celebration included a cocktail hour, a buffet dinner and an awards ceremony honoring Puma, a longtime youth football volunteer, and Glickman Rogers, principal of Oceanside Middle School.
“Tonight we’re here to honor these two exceptional individuals from our community, Heart of Gold recipient Mr. Michael Puma and our Special Service Award honoree, Dr. Allison Glickman,” Nancy Baxter, a past president of the club, said.
“But before we get to that, I would like to take you back to 1945,” Baxter continued. “On Sept. 6, 1945, the Oceanside Kiwanis Club was born.”
She noted that at the time, a new home cost $4,600 and gas was 21 cents a gallon.
Current club President Eric Abbey welcomed past presidents to the stage, and praised the group’s legacy as an “active, vibrant, community-based club.
“This is the 80th anniversary,” Abbey added, “and I have to say, we look good at 80.”
Introducing Glickman Rogers, Phyllis Harrington, superintendent of Oceanside schools said, “When I think of Allison, one word comes immediately to mind: champion. A champion is someone who fights for something bigger than themselves, someone who stands up for others, even when it’s not easy. Someone who pushes limits, not for personal recognition, but to make life better for others, and that, in every sense of the word, is who Allison is.”
Glickman Rogers has been at the middle school for 19 years. She earned undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees from Hofstra University, and began her career there, before working in the Lynbrook school district, where she taught phys. ed. and health. She went on to take assistant principal positions in Port Washington and at School Five in Oceanside for a year before returning to OMS as principal in 2010.
Glickman Rogers now teaches a course at Molloy University for aspiring administrators. Under her leadership, the middle school has been recognized with a number of honors.
“I knew I was given the opportunity to be part of a very special Middle School, one of the best in the state,” Rogers said. “What I didn’t know at that time was how incredible this community was, and that I would be spending the next 20 years of my career here, and that I hope to spend the rest of my career here. Oceanside Middle School is still, today, a very special middle school, but what I learned is it’s this community that makes it so special.”
Next, Baxter introduced Puma. “In speaking with him over the years, I found him to be a sincere and humble person, someone with a heart of gold, a volunteer who gives up his time and efforts to help others on and off the field,” she said. “Volunteering or coaching, like Kiwanis, is a thankless job. But Mike, like our members, works hard and plays hard. Without any fanfare or accolades, he comes to help those in need, especially the children.”
Puma, a Baldwin resident with children in the Oceanside district, retired as a New York City police detective four years ago. He has been involved with the Oceanside-East Rockaway Raiders football program for over a decade. He first volunteered when his son, Santino, joined the program at age 5 in 2014, and Puma went on to coach teams for players ages 6 to 12. All three of his children, Santino, Izabella and Matteo are students athletes.
He remains active in coaching and in high school athletics, but Puma now helps lead the Oceanside High School Parents Association as well.
After accepting his award, Puma thanked his wife, Tina. “Early-morning setups, to the field, Tuesday-night meetings, phone calls about coaches getting suspended, and who did this and who did that? What are you doing?” he recalled. “Countless hours of coaching, first my kids, then other people’s kids, which often took time away from our family. Even though it did, Tina always supported me and understood how much I loved what I did.”
“I’m honestly overwhelmed by all of this,” he added, “and everyone who came out to support me. I wish I could mention everyone.”
The final speaker was the governor-elect of the Long Island South Central Division of Kiwanis, Martin Valk. “Eighty years ago, a group of visionary individuals came together with a simple but powerful idea to improve the world one child and one community at a time,” Valk said. “Since then, this club has been a beacon of hope, compassion and action. We’ve built playgrounds, awarded scholarships, supported local schools and stood by families in times of need. We’ve laughed together, worked together and grown together. Think of all that has changed in the world since Oceanside was founded. Yet through it all, our commitment to service has remained unwavering.”
For more information, visit Facebook.com/KiwanisClubOfOceansideNY/.
