Good News: Heroic Coffee Run, Fighting ALS, Honoring Vets, Young Musicians

Here are some of the inspiring stories of the week, where community members sought to help others, or made headlines for their achievements.

Babylon Students Join the Fight Against ALS

Babylon’s Memorial Grade School and Junior-Senior High School joined the fight against ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, this spring by raising funds for Ride for Life, a not-for-profit corporation.

Each May, during ALS Awareness Month, ALS patients ride their electric wheelchairs for multiple days down the highways and byways to raise funds for a cure and to create awareness about ALS during Ride for Life. To date, the venture has raised more than $7 million.

At Babylon Memorial Grade School, students participated in a walk-a-thon and teachers made donations for a dress down day. The high school coordinated a number of fundraisers for the program, including the Leo Club selling bracelets and pins, the faculty participating in dress down day, two video game tournaments and a student council organized PowderPuff football game. Additionally, child psychology class members also secured scholarship money for the walk. More than $1,000 was collectively raised.

EMT on Coffee Run Helps Avert Potential Disaster at Dunkin' Donuts

A Nassau County EMT walked into a Carle Place Dunkin' Donuts early Friday and walked out a hero.

Police say the EMT was at the store, located at 202 Glen Cove Road, to grab a cup of coffee shortly before 4 a.m. when the personal carbon monoxide detector he was carrying alerted him to a high level of the toxic gas in the building.

The EMT, whose name was not disclosed by police, escorted the Dunkin' Donuts employees out of the building.

The Carle Place Fire Department responded to the scene and confirmed a high level–35 parts per million–of carbon monoxide, which is odorless and colorless, inside the store.

Girl Scout Troop 374 Completes Bronze Award Project by Honoring Local Veterans

A group of Sachem-area Girl Scouts recently completed their Bronze Award project by honoring some of Long Island’s veterans living at The Vets Place in Yaphank.

The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the first of three high honors awards that can be earned by Girl Scouts and must be completed by developing and executing a Council-approved community service project. The girls from local Troop 374, all fifth graders from Chippewa and Waverly Elementary Schools, prepared an Italian-themed dinner to thank the veterans for their service to our country.

Boy Scouts Honor Veterans at Long Island National Cemetery

A dozen boys from Boy Scouts of America Troop 5 joined other troops in placing flags on the graves of veterans buried at the Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale over the Memorial Day Weekend.

It was raining on Saturday when the boys and their leaders arrived at the cemetery at about 7 a.m., to commemorate Memorial Weekend. The boys diligently placed hundreds of flags on rows of graves to honor veterans for their sacrifice. By the time they had finished their task at about 8:30 a.m., the skies had begun to clear.

Three Long Island High School Students Win Concerto Competition

Three Long Island High School students will be featured soloists in the June 8 Long Island Youth Orchestra concert at Walt Whitman High School’s Performing Arts Center in Huntington Station at 2 p.m.