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Community Corner

Long Island Foundation Names 2027 Veteran Honorees

Public invited to celebrate nine honorees at the Sixth Annual Tribute & Honor Awards Ceremony on February 6, 2027

P. Frome, Community Contributor
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The Tribute and Honor Foundation’s 2027 honorees, pictured from top left: Dominick Critelli, Angelo Grande, John Schaefer, Frank Marcinek, Kate Csillag, Kevin W. Hertell, Rene Cintron, Vinnie Martinez Jr. and Frederick Blumlein.
The Tribute and Honor Foundation’s 2027 honorees, pictured from top left: Dominick Critelli, Angelo Grande, John Schaefer, Frank Marcinek, Kate Csillag, Kevin W. Hertell, Rene Cintron, Vinnie Martinez Jr. and Frederick Blumlein. (Photo courtesy Tribute and Honor Foundation.)

Nearly 100 veterans, veteran supporters, community leaders, elected officials, family members and friends gathered at the North Shore Historical Museum on Sunday, Sept. 20, as the Tribute and Honor Foundation announced the nine recipients of its 2027 Tribute & Honor Awards.

The 2027 honorees are Frank Marcinek, of Levittown, an Air Force veteran and longtime veterans and community volunteer, Community Service Award; Dominick Critelli, of Floral Park, a 105-year-old World War II Army veteran and Battle of the Bulge veteran, Greatest Generation Award; Angelo Grande, of Glen Head, an Army veteran and former Nassau County American Legion Commander, Legacy Award; John Schaefer, of Bayville, a Marine Corps veteran and retired Nassau County Police Detective, Leadership Award; Community Service Award; Kate Csillag, of Sea Cliff, founder of Knit and Crochet with Kate, who led an initiative providing more than 1,600 items to Disabled American Veterans, Homefront Award; Kevin W. Hertell and the Veterans Suicide Awareness & Remembrance Flag Corporation, of Suffolk County, creator of the S.A.R. Flag, Awareness and Remembrance Award; Rene Cintron, of the Locust Valley area, an Army National Guard and Reserve veteran and American Legion member, Volunteer Award; Vinnie Martinez Jr., of Glen Cove, a Marine Corps veteran, firefighter and EMS volunteer, Impact Award; and Frederick Blumlein, of Port Washington, a Vietnam-era Army officer and VFW Post 1819 Quartermaster, Front Runner Award.

Levittown’s Frank Marcinek shares brief remarks after being named the Tribute and Honor Foundation’s 2027 Community Service Award recipient as Massapequa AMVETS Post 88 Commander Bill Bailey, a co-presenter at the event, looks on. Marcinek will formally receive the award at the Sixth Annual Tribute & Honor Awards Ceremony on February 6, 2027.

The awards will be formally presented at the Sixth Annual Tribute & Honor Awards Ceremony & Fundraising Gala, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027, at 6 p.m. at the Crescent Beach Club.

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Always held on the first Saturday in February, the Tribute and Honor Awards bring veterans and the community together to recognize service and leadership. As has become the tradition, honorees are seated in front, with veterans gathered just behind them, as community leaders, elected officials, presenters, Foundation board and liaison members, and other supporters join the photo on the upper platform behind the veterans. The nine recently announced 2027 honorees will be formally recognized at the Foundation’s Awards Ceremony on February 6 at the Crescent Beach Club in Bayville, New York.

We look forward to bringing the community together to celebrate these nine remarkable honorees,” said Foundation President Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews.

The event has sold out for the past four years. Tickets, tables, sponsorship opportunities and additional information are available at TributeAndHonorFoundation.org.

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