Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Assemblyman Brian Curran hosted the annual Women of Distinction awards ceremony at St. Mary’s/Maris Stella Knights of Columbus Council in Lynbrook in September. The honorees, two from Lynbrook and one from East Rockaway, were nominated by local elected officials for their contributions to the community.
The awards were created in 2011, to honor women in the 21st Assembly District who distinguish themselves through professional achievement and acts of service.
“Women in today’s world have an impossible job, juggling both family life and professional life — it’s amazing that they are able to get it all done,” Curran said. “These women aren’t in it for the glory — they simply love their community and want to give back. They are truly an example of what a great woman and citizen should be.”
One honoree, Stephanie Paul, is president of East Rockaway Kiwanis, a village trustee and a county Girl Scout delegate, and is involved with the Faith Formation religious education program at St. Raymond Parish.
“I do everything I do just because it’s a love of mine,” Paul said. “I want to help people.”
Paul connects the community and members of local law enforcement with events like Police Appreciation Night, and spotlights East Rockaway educators with the Teacher Appreciation Award, which recognizes those who go above and beyond to support children inside and outside the classroom.
“I was very caught off guard when I was nominated for this award,” she said. “I was completely blown away by the other recipients of this award, how hard they work and the things they’ve done in their community. That was a very big highlight of that Sunday, to be surrounded by such incredible women.”
Paul prioritizes helping young people find their way, spiritually and civically. She serves as a catechist at St. Raymond’s Parish, and is developing a program that explains local government to young people.
“I’m hoping that we can have an assembly where we can explain what the mayor, the trustees and the whole (village) board do together,” she said. “I want them to know our names. I want to hear their concerns. I want to hear their questions. I want to know what they think the community needs, especially in their age group.”
Lynne Harvey, another honoree, is a past president of the Lynbrook Fire Department Ladies’ Auxiliary, and coordinates department sponsored to fly veterans to Ft. Belvoir, an Army base in Virginia, to receive medical care.
“I was extremely humbled and honored to receive this, because I’m not a one-man band,” Harvey said. “I have numerous people that helped me make this all happen.”
Harvey helps organize the department’s annual End of Summer Bash to Benefit Wounded Warriors in Greis Park.
“I do it because my dad was career military, and in raising myself and my siblings, he always told us that the military put a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs, and to give back when we can,” she said. “This is my way of paying back.”
All proceeds from the Bash are directed to supporting service members who have been wounded in the line of duty and are taken to military bases around the country to receive medical care.
“I coordinate with Fort Belvoir, as well as with the doctors and the nurses on base to see what items the service members will need to help them overcome their injuries,” Harvey explained. “Fort Belvoir deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.”
The LFD also accepts nonperishable food, new toys and toiletries after Thanksgiving to take to families receiving care at those bases.
The third honoree, Kacie Curran — no relation to Brian — is a member of the LFD’s Emergency Medical Company No. 1. She has received awards for two life-saving actions, rescuing a resident from a house fire and treating another who suffered cardiac arrest. Curran was the department’s 2021 firefighter of the year.
“At the age of 26, it’s kind of weird,” she said of the award. “It was really exciting to get it, but I was just definitely, like, wait — I don’t think I’ve done enough.
“Me getting this award is only because of everybody else around me that supported me,” she added.
Curran, a lifelong Lynbrook resident, got involved in the Junior Fire Department at age 12, and joined the regular department at 18. She is the youngest person to become an officer in her company, and served as a company captain from 2021 to 2023. Her father and sister are also members of the department.
“My time in the department’s not done,” she said. “I hope to raise my kids in Lynbrook. I want to stay in the Lynbrook Fire Department, and I hope I can do this until however old I am.”
