Thursday, October 1, 2026
Local residents from throughout Long Island gathered on the grounds of Forest Road Elementary School last Saturday for the Elite Scholarship Foundation’s annual community fair featuring an afternoon of fun, community outreach, scholarships and support for the foundation.
The Elite Scholarship Foundation is a Valley Stream-based nonprofit organization specializing in helping students with their higher education journey, offering financial help, career guidance and mentorship. With the help of sponsors and partners, the foundation helps deserving students.
“I’m so appreciative and blessed for the support of all these awesome organizations that chose to partner with us and make a difference in the community and provide resources to the community,” Paula Mills, CEO and president of the foundation, said.
Many of the supporters, local community organizations and small businesses, took part the fair which was themed to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, particularly the contributions of Black and Indigenous people throughout the country’s history.
Young small business owner Samara St. Preux, 14, who makes and sells candles, wax melts, room sprays, lotions and diffusers, enjoys being a member of the Black business community on Long Island.
“I love it,” St. Preux said. “I like to see more Black businesses come into the space, more small businesses just in general. It’s just so strong and it feels like family.”
The participating organizations included Nassau University Medical Center, the Childcare Council of Nassau, Diamond Charter School, Choice for All and the Nassau County Board of Elections. Each organization had helpful representatives eager to engage with attendees. NUMC offered guests blood pressure, blood glucose and pulse oximetry screenings.
“It’s a very rewarding feeling just to be able to serve and help people,” Gelia Alejandro, the community outreach physician liaison for NUMC, said. “It’s priceless. It’s just a great feeling.”
The Board of Elections provided a variety of voter information, such as voter registration, absentee ballots and how to become a poll worker. Joseph Lopez, a Board of Elections employee, helps citizens practice their right to vote.
“It’s an honor to be able to work at the 250th birthday of America [and] be able to uphold the integrity of the elections,” Lopez said.
Another organization sharing information at the fair is directed by scholarship recipients. Abigail Murray, 19, is a co-founder and project leader of Compassion Companions, a nonprofit that helps children and families facing housing insecurity. Murray said that since starting the nonprofit when she was 15, Compassion Companions has been able to assist three homeless shelters, serving over 500 people.
Murray is the winner of the Elite Scholarship Foundation’s Beauty for Ashes Scholarship and is studying human resources and industrial labor relations at the University at Buffalo. She said she wants to use her education to continue to help people facing housing insecurity as well as those in other marginalized groups.
Another scholarship winner at the fair was Light Ativie, 18, who won the foundation’s Elite Scholarship of Leadership. He is entering his first year at the University at Albany in September, where he will major in cybersecurity and minor in psychology.
“I hope that I can go on and eventually become an entrepreneur in the future with both my knowledge of cybersecurity and psychology,” Ativie said. “The scholarship is going to be very helpful for that. I’m very grateful for it.”
Both Murray and Ativie were invited to the stage and presented with their scholarships by Mills. Proud friends and family of the recipients were there to cheer them on. Other Elite Scholarship Foundation recipients who were absent from the fair are Nailinie Kemraj and Kymora Dorvilus.
“We noticed that they have a heart for not just themselves but for others,” Mills said of the four recipients.
To learn more, visit elitescholarshipfoundation.org.
