Leading Ladies of Farmingdale

LEADING LADIES OF FARMINGDALE

At the first meeting of the Women’s Club of Farmingdale (WCF), President Tina Diamond and Program Chair Cheryl Parisi presented a program entitled “Leading Ladies of Farmingdale.” Speakers included Library Director Deborah Podolski, Farmingdale School District (FSD) Board Vice President Kathy Lively, FSD Trustee Suzanne Bruno D’Amico and PTA School President Kim Donohue.

Library Director Podolski believes her main focus as director is to “safeguard the affordability of the library budget for the public, as well as provide the best services for the Farmingdale community.” One of these services is the “Book in a Bag” program where patrons can borrow a bag complete with 10 copies of a popular book and then host a book club discussion. The package includes a binder with author information and discussion questions. There are over 100 Book-in-a-Bag bags to choose from. Another popular program is called ROKU and it enables patrons to plug in to the HDMI slot on their TV and have access to the library’s entire collection of movies and TV series. When Podolsky initially applied for the director’s position, there had been a “revolving door” of directors. After successfully “selling” herself to the Board of Directiors, Podolski is proud to continue serving the community after 10 years.

Kathy Lively is proud to be serving as Vice President of the FSD Board of Education. Lively firmly supports the basic principles that guide the BOE which includes educating all students to become independent thinkers and problem solvers. In addition, providing a safe, nurturing environment will enable each student to realize their full potential. “No one knows kids’ issues better than a mother!” Lively is also presently serving on the Board of Directors of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce as secretary.

Suzanne D’Amico, FSD Board Trustee, has many years of experience as a leader. In addition to her current position, D’Amico has been a leader for the FSD PTA and has been actively participating at county and school hearings for special needs students. These experiences have prepared her to be “in a better position to manage issues for all kids.”

As PTA Council President, Kim Donohue has attended numerous NYS PTA Conventions where school districts from all over the state are represented and in her estimation “we do so much more for our students right here in the FSD than anywhere in the state.”

Paving the way for these women, and others, to excel in public positions, was our very own Farmingdale leading lady, Abigail E. Leonard. In 1913, Ms. Leonard founded the Women’s Club of Farmingdale. She became the first woman president of the Farmingdale School District Board of Education and while serving, she helped form the local PTA; the position of school nurse became a 5-da-a-week position and business courses were added in the high school. She co-founded the Farmingdale Public Library. In the Village, she lobbied for street signs, milk delivery, and garbage collection. She was also very active in the suffragist marches on Long Island.

We thank these ladies for their many achievements and for empowering others by their example.

Submitted by Maria Ortolani