Massapequa Park Women Of Distinction Honored

MASSAPEQUA PARK, NY — The Town of Oyster Bay held a Women of Distinction ceremony to recognize exceptional women who have made significant contributions to the community. This year’s honorees included four individuals who live and work in Massapequa Park.

“These extraordinary individuals all have something special about them that deserves recognition," said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. "While they all have different outstanding qualities that make our Women of Distinction Committee members select them as honorees, they all have one thing in common – these women all do what they do without the expectation of any recognition.”

The Massapequa Park honorees were:

Kathleen Kalt has served her community as a fifth-generation member of the New York Police Department. Kalt became a staple for the Towers of Freedom Monument organization, a group which formed to help memorialize those who were lost in the events of Sept. 11, as well as fallen members of the military in the subsequent war on terror. The Towers of Freedom Monument stands at John Burns Park as an important reminder of the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform. Kalt is also involved in the Long Island Shields Organization, a group comprised of and in support of local police officers. Throughout her community involvement, as well as her professional work, she always puts others before herself and acts as a role model for others.

Shanon Tranchina is an avid community activist. In addition to being immersed in events in her village of Massapequa Park, Tranchina is heavily involved in her school district. A mother of three young children, she is very active in the education system. She is currently the president of the PTA at McKenna Elementary School in Massapequa, in addition to serving as recording secretary of the Massapequa Elementary Council of PTAs. Tranchina and her family were thrown into a crazy time in 2017 when their daughter, Quinn, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 4. Tranchina and her family have used the experience to help work with charities and raise awareness about the world of pediatric cancer – as the condition is more prevalent than most realize and yet pediatric cancer research only receives 4 percent of funding.

Patti Wukovits is a registered nurse and meningitis advocate who lost her 17-year-old daughter Kimberly to Meningitis B in 2012. After her daughter’s death, she created the Kimberly Coffey Foundation to improve awareness of bacterial meningitis and the two vaccines available to help prevent it. As the foundation’s executive director, Wukovits speaks at various medical conferences, colleges and high schools both locally and throughout the country to educate people about the condition and its symptoms, transmission and the importance of prevention. Most recently, she co-founded the Meningitis B Action Project, a nationwide disease awareness and advocacy initiative. As a result of her efforts as part of the project, Meningitis B educational materials are being used to educate patients in more than 3,000 doctors offices and examination rooms, as well as hundreds of schools and colleges across the country.

Rachel Margolin is an inspiring young woman and at just 22 years old, has impacted the lives of countless children in need. When she was still in high school, Margolin launched an organization called Royal Events Princess Parties, a company she fully created and ran out of her own home. Royal Events provides princess characters for parties and events all over Long Island – and many of their engagements involve working with local charities to visit with children who are ill or otherwise in need. Rachel not only created and runs this company, she also transforms into several favorite fairy tale characters. In addition, she does all the preparation, any necessary hiring, booking and costume maintenance for each and every event. And while every entrepreneur wants to see their business succeed, Margolin's greatest reward is seeing the expression on children’s faces when they see and get to interact with their favorite princess.