The-Leader_1989-09-28

              Rosh Hashanah
greetings 1 Freeport
HE L
Baldwin
ADER SSUi Year, No. 39 Freepon,N.Y. 11520 Official newspaper of the Village of FrccporfFreepon and Baldwin School Districu Thursday. September 28.19S9 25c
^ f? Frcepoft's in Fall Flower! ^ ^
DEUQHTFULIMPATIENTS in • brurthtaklng viriMy ol color dacorato tha
Branch Av«ntM comtr pfopwty of Mr. and Mrs. J. Woiir. who 0«mar«d Mcond
plaea in tha 1989 Fall Rowaring Contaat
COLORFUL BORDER PLANTINOS of Impltiants. marlgolda and garaniums
took thin) plaea in tha Fall Flowaring Conmt for Mr. Boiaa Martin of Harrison
Avanue. And tha winnar is (saa paga 6) phccos by Jo» OiSalvo
Putnam Avenue group home welcomes friends and neighbors
by Maurice Forge
Rcsidenti, their pireiiU and
friends, neighbors, staff and
directors from the Epilepsy
Foundation took part in ao "open
houie* reception at the group home
last wrck where tbey displa>-cd
their achie^-enKnt in the hotnc at
187 Pulnam Avenue Mn« they
opened last March.
Nine rcsidcntsaod aniiouod the
clock staff already liw in the (our
le\-el home and applicanu for the
two remaining spou are being
considered to fiU the maximum of
11 set by the New York Sute OfTice
of Mental Retardation and
[>e%-eIopiiienUl Disabilities.
When the purchase of this hoi«e
was ftru proposed by the State last
year. Village officials and
nct^bors in the area objected to
the group home, not out of lack of
s>'mpatby for its potential rcsidenu
or indifference to the needs of
persons needing menul health
serMce. but primarily because of
the belief that "Freeport has been
singled out for locating such
facilities in it." according to the
opponents. Mayor Dorothy Storm
pointed out al the public hearing on
January 26 that the Village alrtady
had 26 such facitittes and wu
"ovtTtaiorated,' and called upon
the Sute officials to use tbdr good
ofTiccs to get other comraunities. in
which there were no group torocs
"to emulate i»."
But last week, the home's
manager. Howard Coldberf, and
the Epilepsy Foundation's Nassau
County Director of Residential
Services. Donna Zaino and her
asstiunt E>clla Chirboonet »««
obviously proud of the apparent
success of the enterprise and the
public display at the reception.
They all stressed that the neighbors
ha^-e been '^•e^y friendly."
Uoda Williams, one of thcdoicn
or so visitors from close
neighboring houses, agreed that
"the home occupants have been
good neighbors and our family ts
glad Freeporters have been
cooperative." "These people have
special needs." her daughter
Carolyn added *'and we are glad to
be helpful especially since they
ha%-c been such good neighbors."
Mike Zistoan who has \\\xA all his
life at I7S Putnam Avenue said
"this is a great neighborhood and
they Fit right in."
Theodore aiul Lena LcCours.
oiiginailyfrom Rumford. Maine
and now back thereafter living in
HicksviUe for many jtars. came
all the way from the northeast to
share in the reception with one of
the residents, Thomas Lemmo
whom they know from their
Long Island days.
The facility, operated by the
Foundation, is funded by New
York Sute as part of the
provisions of Mental Hygiene
Law Section 4L The tesidems.
ranging in ages from 23 to 57
years all work at an AHRC
workshopin Freeportv*'herethey
cam for their personal expewcs
and do all the housekeeping work
in their home under the
super\-ision of the profeswonal
lUff. They are given medication
and most of them have already
been trained to administer the
prescribed drugs to thcmsehrs.
The social rooms, spaaous
modem kitchen, recreation room
and impeccably kepi bedrooms
with two beds each are all cared
for by the residents who do the
cooking and other kitchen
chores, use the two washing and
drying machines
It seems that the suff at the
Garden city headquarters ol the
Foundation, (he local staff and
the residents have had their work
cut out for them, for in six
months they transformed an old
house into a modem home and
maintained its charming exlenor
WELCOME TO FREEPORT: Robwi Qoldbw^. nunaQw of th«
group horn* op«rst4d by th« Epil«psy Fourtdatlon for th« N«w
York Stat* Offle« of M*nUl fl*tartiatk»n and D«v«topm«nt«l
01tabi&ti««, cuts t h * cftka «t th« Op«n HouM-Pl/
TNAM AVENUE NEIGHBORS at th« Op«n H O U M givan by
tha group hom* S«pt«mb«f 18, anwng th«m Mtka Etman.
Linda. Chris artd Caroirn WiUams arxl othM>t