By Angela Marshall
The honorees were Joseph Noll, Sylvia Chertow, Roslyn Rossein and the Rockville Centre Herald's publisher, Stuart Richner.
Noll, of Macken Mortuary, has been a good friend to the Hispanic community over the years, often providing burials for those who couldn't afford them and treating the poor with dignity. "He's a big guy with a big heart," said Margarita Grasing, executive director of the Brotherhood.
Chertow is a member of the Brotherhood's board and a longtime community activist. She is past president of the Nassau Council of Chamber of Commerce, the Rockville Centre Jewish Community Council and the South Shore Section of the National Council of Jewish Women. It was Chertow who convinced Grasing to purchase the Brotherhood's current home. "Don't be afraid, " Grasing said Chertow told her. "Things will be taken care of."
Each year the Brotherhood honors those who played a role in making the new home possible. This year, the board also honored Rossein, the architect who designed the building's renovations.
Richner was honored for the coverage the Rockville Centre Herald gives to community events and the underprivileged. "It's the best paper because it's your town," Grasing said.
Many of the honorees took a minute to praise the Brotherhood for its good works. Chertow called it a "shining light" in the community and said the staff work with "warmth, friendliness and passion."
The five scholarship winners, Ana Torres, Nelmy Negrete, Emelin Taveras, Daniella Ortiz and Freddy Junior Rodriguez, were given their awards at the dinner. All had to write essays explaining why they were applying for the scholarship. Most said that going to college had always been their goal but that their family would need help with the tuition to make it a reality.
Rodriguez is being raised by a single mother who has sacrificed a lot for her three sons. "Every parent's dream is to see their children succeed and encounter life's obstacles with ease," he wrote. "Setting goals and looking towards the future is an idea my mother has stressed. She has emphasized this so much that now it has become my focus in life."
The scholarship winners, who have donated time to the Brotherhood once a week, were required to have an academic average of 80 or higher and were interviewed by a team of judges.
Two of the scholarship program's past success stories were in attendance. Alex and Jillianne Cepero both received scholarships and have begun successful careers. Alex works for Grant Thornton LLP, and Jillianne is a junior benefits coordinator for Chernoff Diamond & Co.
Grasing said she was worried that the bad economy would stop people from donating to the kids this year, but people came through once again. This was one of the biggest dinners in the program's history, she said.
