Good News: Students Collect Change for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to nitty-gritty breakdowns of government and school district issues. But some stories are simply inspiring, often showing that at the heart of our communities is a desire to do good. Here are some of the touching headlines from the past seven days.

Lindy Beautification after Sandy Effort Rakes 60+ Homes

Last weekend volunteers from the joint Beautification after Sandy effort of the Lindenhurst Rotary Club, Lindenhurst Interact and Camp Bulldog were joined by volunteers from the Gilford, New Hampshire Rotary and Interact Clubs.

Together they raked the Hurricane Sandy-battered yards of 60-plus homes located South of Montauk Highway in Lindenhurst and in nearby superstorm-affected South Shore communities that registered for the effort online.

Babylon Grade School Students Raise Money for Charity

Students from Babylon Memorial Grade School have been generously donating pennies and other spare change throughout the year to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Pennies for Patients” program.

This program helps fund research around the world for blood cancer cures, therapies and support services for those in need. According to www.schoolandyouth.org, many of the 50 new cancer drugs approved in the last decade by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were advanced thanks to support from programs such as Pennies for Patients. In total, Babylon Memorial Grade School students raised over $1,500 as part of the Pennies for Patients campaign.

Sachem Student Wins Dance Title

A 10-year-old student at Gatelot Elementary School was recently award the "Mr. Junior Power of Dance" for his dance class at the Long Island Regional Competition. 

Robert Hoffer takes classes at Jacqueline Rivera’s Dance Couture in Lake Ronkonkoma and performed his Jazz solo to "Smooth Criminal" as part of the contest. The Power of Dance competition is a charity driven event whereby dancers from 20 dance schools put on more than 750 routines to raise funds for various charities, according to a release from Jacqueline Rivera's school.
This recent competition was held at West Islip High School and raised $10,000.