By Nick Buglione
After raising about $17,500 last October, the money was divided evenly among East Meadow resident Maureen Dominguez's three children, who lost their fathers Carlos, 35, in the terrorist attack. Each received $4,337.50 for a scholarship fund set up by the Bank of New York.
"The board had decided that by May 1 we wanted to make sure the money got distributed so that the people that suffered could benefit from it," said Ted Rosenthal, chamber member and chairman of the fund.
After learning of their loss, the chamber immediately reached out to the Dominguez family.
"The chamber was amazing. They had collected all types of gift certificates for the family," Dominguez, 34, said. "They made gift baskets of toys for the children around Christmas, so the kids got a lot extra this year, which was nice."
It's been a hard past eight months, but Dominguez and her children, Maria, 9, Amanda, 5, and Michelle, 15 months, are holding up, thanks largely to the support of the community.
"We're doing the best we can. The community has been very supportive," she said. "The amount of effort they put in to contact my family and make sure we're doing OK was great."
Barry Packer, manager of the New York Sports Club on Merrick Avenue, was on hand for the recent meeting and announced he had some toys he wanted to donate to the children, along with a free three-month membership for Dominguez.
"There was a toy collection by the swim school downstairs during the holiday, and they weren't picked up," said Packer. "I had remembered at one of the meetings that a couple of local families had been affected by Sept. 11, and I asked if any of them had small children."
The final $4,337.50 portion of the raised funds will be given to Nicole DeAngelis, a student at Clarke High School. After 27 years of service as a firefighter, Nicole's father, Thomas, died during rescue operations at the World Trade Center.
Although the money is ready to be distributed, Rosenthal said the chamber is reaching out to the DeAngelis family and could not get in contact with them before their meeting. He also hoped to have the money to them by Tuesday, May 21.
"We want to get the money to all the children, most importantly Nicole DeAngelis because she's going to be starting college soon," he said.
In an earlier issue of the Herald, Nicole's mother, Patricia, commented on the help she had received from the community following the tragedy. "We find this so touching. More than the money itself, it's the idea behind it, wanting to be there for each other, the helping and the support."
A cocktail party held at Fabio's Italian Restaurant on Oct. 11 raised the funds earmarked for the two families. Attendees were charged $75 each. Owner Sal Giambanco allowed the event to be held free of charge. Extra contributions by those in attendance also helped grow the fund.
In the months following the fundraiser, the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce put calls out to the community in search of other families with young children that had been directly impacted by Sept. 11. Beside DeAngelis and Dominguez, it was discovered that East Meadow's Ann McGovern had also died in the attack; however, her children were already grown up.
"If we find someone else that needs help, we'll figure out a way," said Rosenthal. "We'll come up with another fundraiser and do whatever we have to do to help them."
Meanwhile, the chamber is also planning to lay three bricks at the Town Square now under construction at Veterans Memorial Park with the names of the three fallen East Meadow residents. The park is located at East Meadow and Prospect avenues.
In the wake of Sept. 11, millions of dollars were raised by the Red Cross and other charity groups specifically for victims of the attack. Since distribution of those funds began, reports have surfaced from families mired in bureaucratic red tape who have gotten minimal or no money.
Rosenthal, an attorney, has witnessed this problem firsthand. This is precisely why local funds, like those raised by the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, are so important, he said.
