By Rachel Kalina
Nicole Caputo nearly drowned at a young age, and the resulting brain damage left her unable to move or speak. When Janek met Caputo's family three years ago, she could see they were stressed by the high cost of her treatments, and lack of aid from insurance companies. She and friend Gerri Harkins stepped in, and were awed by the power of community. Since then, Janek has written a book about her experiences with Caputo, and has been conveying a message about the benefits of community service for the self and others.
She hopes to use the recently-published book, "In Love and Friendship," to encourage West Hempstead youth to become more involved in their hometown. The Friends of the West Hempstead Library organization even asked Janek, along with other authors, to sell her book at their April launch to help raise money.
Although Janek has been involved in many community-driven projects across Nassau and Suffolk, she said she had not previously helped the town where she has lived for 16 years. As a result, Janek has become involved in the pending launch of the West Hempstead Library.
"My message in the book for West Hempstead residents and students is to teach your children about community service," Janek said. "It will strengthen their self-esteem."
"In Love and Friendship" focuses on the time Janek spent with Nicole, whose condition requires $200 hyperbaric sessions three times a week to promote any amount of recovery. The procedure involves forcing oxygen into the girl's body while she is sealed into a glass chamber; it attempts to revitalize brain cells deprived of oxygen after the accident.
After hearing from the Caputo family that their daughter's health was gradually improving thanks to her contributions and fund-raising efforts, Janek decided she had a message to share.
"Community can bring happiness into life," Janek said. "This book is an example of what community service can do for people."
Through her efforts with Nicole, Janek said she watched people from all over Nassau and Suffolk counties come together for a common goal. She wants to do the same thing for the West Hempstead Library to make it a success.
"I'd like to see the community step up to the plate for the library," she said.
She also wants to promote volunteering among youth, saying that few children know the value of community service. Janek believes that children need to be taught about service and selflessness at a young age. This, she said, will keep children out of trouble and enable them to become leaders in the community.
Today, Janek works as an advocate for people with special needs, but when she started writing "In Love and Friendship" three years ago, she was in a precarious career situation. The media company for which she had worked downsized, leaving her jobless. This was when her passion for volunteer work started, and she became involved with the grand openings of stores, fire fighter fundraisers and even local political campaigns. She also became involved in spreading awareness about the dangers of the Internet for children, and the initiation of the Don¹t Toss PCP Program.
Janek's ability and effort were recognized in 2001, when she received the Town of Hempstead Make A Difference Award, and the Long Island Distinction Magazine Woman of Distinction Award. She wants to uphold the same qualities that have enabled her to get these awards by now focusing on bringing West Hempstead community together and not just others on Long Island.
"As leaders of community, as taxpayers asked to bear the burden, as the trustees of suburbia, we must take up the causes of community," she said. "This is the promise of community we must keep to our children and to everyone who values the suburban way of life."
Comments about this story? RKalina@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
