From left to right (Top row) From The Arbors: Michael Stack, Erin Beyazoglu, Christine Herting, Christine Macchio, Evan Graber, Elsa Nelmes, Faustine Skinner (Director of Head Start), Martha Morin from The Arbors (Bottom row) The Arbors at Westbury Residents Sally Rogers, Elizabeth Heiman, Mary Manfre
On December 11, 2013, the staff and residents from The Arbors at Westbury visited The Head Start program in Wantagh with lots of toys for all the good boys and girls. In festive gear, the residents and Santa handed out gifts for the 106 preschoolers. Half of these children have been displaced from the Long Beach Head Start branch, which was destroyed in Super Storm Sandy last October. The staff at Wantagh Head Start has welcomed these children into their program with grace, and has restored some sort of normalcy for these children who have endured more hardships than a child ever should. The Arbors residents enjoy seeing the joy on the children’s faces receiving the gifts. “Bridging the age gap between children and seniors is priceless for both. The Arbors residents truly enjoy being able to make children smile, especially at this time of year. We look forward to a long relationship with Head Start.” Says Christine Macchio, Executive Director at The Arbors at Westbury.