By Mary Malloy
Since their April 2006 induction as co-directors, Kristen and Tim O¹Hagan have gone above and beyond their board-appointed positions, infusing village events with a new vitality. For their contributions to the community, the Herald is proud to name the O¹Hagans its 2007 People of the Year.
"They were a tremendous find," said Mayor Ed Sieban. "We interviewed a number of candidates, and we knew that these were the people to lead our recreation department into the future."
Tim, 33, a former assistant coach of the award-winning East Rockaway High School girls¹ basketball team, is co-director of the recreation department and the girls¹ basketball coach at Molloy College in Rockville Centre.
"He has a great rapport with teens," said Pam Castellano, longtime secretary of the Recreation Department. "He wants fitness to be a priority, to get kids up and moving. He sees this as a healthy approach to a better lifestyle."
Kristen, 30, has a master¹s degree in education, and specializes in early childhood development. She runs many programs geared to infants, children and parents, such as Parent & Toddler Playtime, Almost Real School and Enrichment for Kids. She and Tim have three children of their own, Rachel, 8, Riley, 3, and Connor, 2 months. "They want to put things out there that their own kids would want to do," said Castellano.
When the O¹Hagans were appointed to run the Recreation Department, they chose to keep programs that were popular, and added others, offering residents a variety of activities. There are new summer and winter lacrosse clinics, baseball and basketball skills clinics and an expanded flag football program, which now offers play in two seasons, summer and fall. The O¹Hagans have added coed volleyball to the existing women¹s volleyball. They also introduced Community Skate Night in Grant Park last January, bowling for kids on the weekends, and a Valentine¹s Day brunch for senior citizens -- which was a sell-out. In April, the village¹s annual Easter egg hunt, which had taken place at Memorial Park, was expanded and relocated to the John Street Complex. An egg relay race, a potato sack race, an egg toss and an activities party for the children were added.
Senior citizens can join Movin¹ to the Beat, which is run by a certified dance therapist. All adults can take Dancercize to keep their energy level up. The Recreation Department also offers trips to sporting and cultural events, such as the Christmas show at Radio City Music Hall, Cirque du Soleil at Madison Square Garden, and Sesame Street Live, coming up in February. It hosted the village¹s first Oktoberfest, which included vendors, rides, food and entertainment. Another new program was horseback riding, in which children learned to ride and groom horses at the West Hempstead Stables.
"They have re-energized and expanded the whole recreation program," Sieban said of the O¹Hagans. "They have taken it beyond the traditional sports venues and into other cultural and recreational activities."
Loreen Peknic, the Recreation Department¹s instructor of Cooking for Kids and Fitness for Kids, said that the O'Hagans have tried to create low-cost programs so more people can take part. "They do what they do for the community, it's not just a job to them," Peknic said. Her daughters, Kelly, 6 and Kathleen, 5, enjoy some of the programs. "Tim and Kristen have really reached out and found people in the community who could run some of these programs," Peknic said. "They have tapped into people's strengths."
Castellano noted that the O¹Hagans have strong roots in the community, having both graduated from East Rockaway High School. Their parents still live in the community. Their newly revamped programs have strengthened ties with the school district, Castellano said, and have created a more cohesive approach to doing things.
"He is spontaneous, enthusiastic, and is doing what he loves," Castellano said of Tim.
In 2008, the O¹Hagans plan to doing more of the same -- expanding programs and offering new choices. "They have tremendous vision," said Sieban, "and bottomless ambition that has shown through everything they have accomplished." As is the case with all villages departments, the O¹Hagans must run their ideas past the administration. "But we have unleashed them to come up with ideas to better serve the residents," said Sieban, "and that they have done."
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
