By Linda Delmonico-Prussen
Her inspiration? Her uncle, John Sherry, who was killed during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Sherry, who was 33 years old when he died, worked as a bond broker for Euro Brokers at the Twin Towers. Sherry was Dominique's maternal uncle and left behind a wife and two small children, who were then ages 3 and 5.
During the tense times after the attacks, while the family waited for word on Sherry, Dominique channeled her energy, and her
need to do something positive, by collecting supplies for the relief
workers.
When war broke out in Iraq, Dominique again wanted to take action. This time, she said, she wanted to help those who sought to keep the world safe from attacks like the ones that cost her beloved uncle's life.
So she started collecting supplies for the soldiers at war. She began with her immediate family and friends of her mother, Michele, and then expanded the project. To reach out to the community, Dominique wrote letters and distributed them to her neighbors, at her church, Cur of Ars, at her Police Activities League lacrosse games, at tennis, school and through the Girl Scouts, of which she is a member.
"We started collecting things in the middle of the [school] year,"
Dominique said. Within a few months, she had a Jeep full of supplies, including sunscreen, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrushes and non-perishable foods. Dominique's father, Bill, transported the supplies to the USO of Metropolitan New York at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Helen Colford, the USO director at JFK, thanked Dominique, writing, "Your efforts, along with the kindness of all your friends and neighbors, have made a great difference. The lotion, lip balm, sunscreen and other sundries may not seem like a lot, but ask any military person and they will tell you how crucial any one of these items can be to a soldier."
Colford continued, "Everyone has benefited from your donation and has remarked how amazing it is that someone so young has done so much to help. It is selfless deeds such as this that make home seem less far away for the brave people serving our country."
Dominique's good deeds have also been noticed here in Merrick. American Legion Post 1282 will honor her with a Certificate of Appreciation on Tuesday, July 15. Post Adjutant Robert Tom Riordan learned of Dominique's efforts through the Cur of Ars church bulletin. He commended Dominique's patriotism, saying, "For any youngster to think of something like that, that's an outstanding being."
In her spare time, Dominique loves playing her guitar, and her favorite musical group right now is Good Charlotte.
She added, "I like getting the chance to play baseball. I like hanging out with my friends." Dominique also enjoys spending time with her sister, Jessica. "She's 4 and I'm 11, and we still have lots of fun together," Dominique said.
