By Eileen Greco
The mostly word-of-mouth discussion group, formed in 2005, is comprised of various community leaders, parents and School Board members. The group discussed many ideas and future fundraising goals, but one main purpose was to raise $500,000 for a new synthetic fiber, weather-resistant track and field area for Malverne School District 12.
Currently, the track and field area has not been used for over eight years. In fact, no one is even allowed in the track area because of the dangers involved with the disintegrating graphite materials used in what was called the ³last-of-its-kind track in Nassau County.²
Nancy Esposito, the Malverne community CYO organizer for Track and Field, and the coordinator for Our Lady of Lourdes track program, remembers, ³The last time we used the track was eight years ago and if the little kids fell, they had to go to the emergency room to get the embedded graphite removed from their skin. We now use Valley Stream North, and with 122 kids and practice three times a week, that¹s a lot of coordination.²
Jack Tulley, President of the Foundation and a Malverne resident stated, ³The process to begin the Foundation actually started in June, 2005. The process was a long and arduous one, first filing for State and Federal tax exemptions, followed by feasibility studies. We¹ve had attorneys and accountants volunteering their time, and we now have ten Board members.²
Tulley¹s main goal for the evening was to get the Foundation¹s word out, that this is a project for the entire surrounding communities and not just for the schools. He made it clear that the Board was equally comprised of both Malverne and Lakeview residents and reiterated that ³each person should tell at least four or five people in the community what the Foundation is trying to accomplish.² He listed many fundraising ideas, among them, the Malverne Rotary Club races, an Adult Spelling Bee, and buying name engraved bricks for the surrounding track field.
Charlie Nanton, a Foundation Board member and Chairperson of the Lakeview Youth Federation, spoke passionately about the need for Malverne¹s own track. The Federation currently uses the track at Nassau Community College for which he pays an annual fee of $15,000. He wants to bring the track team back to Malverne for his series of ³Friendship Games,² a successful Olympic-type competition among Nassau County schools.
Another Foundation Board Member, Carole Atkins, mother of Derrick Atkins, the Olympic Gold medalist and alumni of Malverne High School, spoke of her on-going work with several companies including Nike, Hershey, New Balance, and Lowe¹s in trying to obtain grants for contribution to a new field.
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