The Sayville Village Improvement Society completed their sign project and held a dedication ceremony near one of the two signs that promote volunteerism on Saturday, May 14. The signs, located in the Chris Bodkin and Bill Venegas Garden on Candee Avenue and in the parking lot on Center Street, list 26 of the volunteer organizations in our area. Suzanne Robilotta headed the project, coordinating the design and construction with Signs of Long Island on Railroad Avenue.

Islip Town supervisor Angie Carpenter and Islip Town councilmembers Mary Kate Mullen and James P. O’Connor were present to acknowledge the many local leaders and representatives of the volunteer organizations who are listed on the signs and who contributed to creating them. The goal was to raise awareness of the many civic-minded organizations in our area and to increase participation in them, to “Volunteer, Support, Help Out,” as the signs state.

“The Sayville Village Improvement Society has always worked quietly to improve our area in many ways,” noted Carpenter, who presented a citation to Barbara Fitzpatrick, president of SVIS, and thanked all the organizations.

It was quite moving to hear about the groups that do so much to improve our town. Representatives from many of them were present. These individuals often work quietly behind the scenes, and receive little or no publicity. Among them are members of the group Sharing a Meal, located at 131 Middle Road in the Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ. Since 1994, the group has provided a hot meal to anyone who needs one. Volunteer Gini McLaughlin said the organization kept going through the pandemic, despite many difficult challenges. “We prepared our hot meals as take-out for many of the people served by the organization,” she said.  

Pam Greene related how the organization she and her husband Mike Dawidziak founded, The Rollstone Foundation, is working to bring needy Ukrainian refugee children to the U.S.

The list goes on, with volunteer groups that preserve our quality of life, history, environment, nature, maritime heritage, commerce, and more in the Sayville-West Sayville area. We appreciate all of them!    

After the sign dedication, everyone walked to the nearby historic Gillette House for coffee and refreshments. One of SVIS’ projects has been the restoration of the house, originally bequeathed to the Church Charity Foundation (CCF) by the grand dame of Sayville, philanthropist Ida Gillette. In 1944, the CCF donated Gillette House to the Town of Islip. Unfortunately, fundraising activities and work involved in the needed restoration came to a halt with the onset of COVID in 2020.

Carpenter, who joined the group for coffee and refreshments, said she had an important announcement. “I am pleased to announce that the contract has been approved to paint the Gillette House,” she said. “This project has been a long time in coming.” Everyone clapped and cheered.