Good News: Saving Neighbors from Fire, Rescuing Ducks And More

Here are just some of the inspiring headlines from around the region this week.

Commack Boy, His Dad Help Save Neighbors From House Fire

When Christopher Schneider saw smoke coming from the back of his next door neighbor's house as he was playing outside his Commack home on Monday afternoon, he thought it may have been coming from a barbecue.

But when the 10-year-old noticed how thick and black the smoke was, he knew he needed to take action.

Christopher ran and got his father, Russell Schneider, who peeked over a 6-foot fence to see the outside of his neighbor's home at 5 Ulster Court in flames at about 2:13 p.m.

Russell told his son to call 911. As Christopher was calling for help, Russell ran to the door of his neighbor's home and started to pound on the door frantically in an effort to alert the occupants of the fire. Inside the home were Marc and Doreen Kimmel along with their 2-year-old son Anthony, who were all asleep at the time.

Russell told them the house was on fire and the Kimmels, including eight and half month pregnant Doreen, made it out safely.

D’Addario Transforms Young Lives Through Music

In partnering with the Harmony Program, the company's foundations are enabling some nearby students to learn instruments through the El Sistema method of music education.

The James D’Addario Family Foundation – funding instruments, teacher and director salaries and donating space – and the D’Addario Foundation – providing transportation to and from the lessons – chose as its first beneficiary Copiague Deauville Gardens East and West public elementary schools. These schools were selected because they had not offered a string program in 30 years, the foundations’ organizers say. From there, they accepted students who were committed to attend the program, ready to play music.

Stony Brook Teens Lead Anti-Malaria Campaign in Africa

The Screensaver Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Stony Brook teens Emily and Julia Holtzman (17 and 14, respectively), has completed a pilot project in Africa aimed at preventing deadly mosquito-borne illnesses such as malaria, which kills a child every 30 seconds across the continent.

The foundation provides low-cost, cut-to-fit screen windows for huts and dwellings in poor villages. Emily and Julia partnered with Cambria, California-based Bug Off Screen Company to enclose more than 60 dwellings in the village of Croisement Peulh.

“These huts and dwellings had irregular sized openings for doors and windows, which are needed for ventilation because it’s very hot,” said Emily, the founder of Screensaver Foundation. “So we needed a product that was impervious to mosquitoes, flexible and inexpensive, and yet able to maintain airflow. We managed to obtain enough Bug Off Screens to outfit the entire village. Every door. Every window.

Scouts Honor: Raising Awareness for Driver Safety in Port Washington

Three girls from Port Washington Girl Scouts Troop 410 are continuing to raise awareness for safe driving in the community.

The scouts, Julia Gurlitz, Gianna Guzzo, and Rebecca Muratore, and their troop leader is Linda Nutter, were recently recognized by the Port Washington Police District for their traffic safety project.

Their poster “One Text One Call Could Wreck It All” will soon be seen in banners across Port Washington, including at the Port Washington Fire Department lot.

“It will be the first thing people see when they drive into town,” said Port Washington Police Commissioner Dave Franklin

Six Ducklings Rescued From Storm Drain in Holbrook

A Suffolk County SPCA officer helped reunite six ducklings with their mother Sunday morning after they fell into a storm drain in Holbrook.

Roy Gross, chief of the Suffolk SPCA, said the agency received a call at about 9:45 a.m. reporting that the ducklings had fallen into a storm drain on Dolphin Lane in the Broadway Knolls apartment complex.

SPCA officer Michael Allen responded to the scene and was able to use a pool net provided by a neighbor to pull the trapped ducklings from the drain.  

Allen placed the ducklings with their nervously awaiting mother who scurried them off.

Watch a video of part of the rescue here.

Dad Delivers Baby in North Massapequa Home

A little girl couldn't wait to come into the world Thursday and was born in her parents' kitchen, reported News 12.

Michael Ferriggi helped deliver his first daughter, Mia Isabella Ferriggi, in their North Massapequa home after his wife went into a very quick labor, said the report.

Both the mother and daughter are doing well after they were brought to Nassau University Medical Center for evaluation.

Girl Scouts 'Helping Hands' Silver Award Project to Feed Hungry on Long Island

Four Garden City Girl Scouts earning their Silver Award are raising awareness of hunger on Long Island.

Siobhan Coen, Kiera Guarino, Rachael Glynn and Caity Bianchi have been hard at work running food drives and collecting more than 280 pounds of groceries for the Mary Brennan INN, a soup kitchen in Hempstead.

During their food drives they are informing the public that our local food pantry runs low during the summer and that donations are always welcome.

Levittown Student Attends Children's Tumor Foundation Family Forum

Last month Division Ave. high School Junior Bailey Gribben attended the Children's Tumor Foundation annual NF Family Forum and NF medical conference in Washington DC.

This was the largest gathering of NF researchers, experts, and patients ever to come together to share their experiences and knowledge and most importantly the hopeful research that is underway to find treatments and a cure for neurofibromatosis.