From the Executive Director’s Desk at East Meadow

November is a time to be thankful for all our blessings; whether it is our health, our family or our friends. This time of year is my favorite. I love the cool air, the leaves changing and getting ready for the holidays. It brings back so many wonderful memories of when I grew up in upstate New York. Just a reminder: Our Annual Holiday Party is coming up – I hope to see you all there. I am looking forward to spending the evening with you and having a great time. I promise this will be a night for creating lasting memories!

Lara

A Note From the Recreation Director at North Hills

How beautiful are the leaves outside your window? As I get older I appreciate the seasons so much more. Each season has its own beauty and this is one of things that I am thankful for this month. This month is also the start of the hectic holiday season. To start it off right we have “The Entertainers” coming in to perform their annual holiday show. Many of you came with me to the IMAX theatre last month at the Cradle of Aviation, please note that we are going to attend the Festival of Lights there this month. I hope that everyone has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday. Although we should always be thankful for what we have in our lives, make sure that you take the an extra moment this month to realize just how lucky we all are.

Stephanie Stern

Special Event Memory Scrapbook

Massapequa's Resident of the Month – Frank "Skip" Castello

When Frank Castello was a little boy of the age of three, he saw a movie about a little boy named “Skippy” and after watching the movie Frank ran around the house calling himself “Skippy.” The name stuck. His family know him only as “Skip” or “Skippy.” In fact, when he would return from the army some years later, one of his army buddies called his home and when the man asked for Frank, his mother hung up saying there was no one named Frank there. Skip was born in Brooklyn and spent a lot of time in Marine Park during his childhood years. His mother and father came from Italy when they were children. His mother was a homemaker and his father did many things including driving a cement truck. Skip identifies with his Italian roots. The Castello family would spend many Sundays enjoying the long hours of eating and socializing as Italian families did. Skip was kind of a quiet kid and at the age of 17 he enlisted at the end of WWII. When Skip went into the army for his tour of duty he was sent to Japan. After WWII he met Rosemarie and while they were dating he planned to go into the Korean War. They were married in 1952 and lived in Brooklyn in a two family home with Rosemarie’s parents. Skip and Rosemarie had a son and two daughters. His daughters, Lucille and Rosemarie, live close to the Bristal.

Skip worked for the Hartford Insurance Company for 40 years and retired from there. He was very active in the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus. He was a commander of the Floyd Bennett Post and also their Chaplain, as well as, a Grand Knight. Skip and Rosemarie were in bowling leagues through the years. They travelled to Italy for their 25th wedding anniversary for two weeks. Skip has four grandchildren and is very close to them. His daughter Lucille remarks, “Dad was a cook in the army, unlike your typical 1950’s cook, my Dad was the cook at home. You would wake up smelling French toast or the smell of spaghetti and meatballs on Sunday.” She adds, “He was the kind of Dad who stayed up with you in the middle of the night if you had a nightmare.” Skip was very strict and raised his children with very strong morals and values that stressed the importance of family. Most recently, as a Bristal resident, Skip has returned to volunteerism as chairman of the Veteran’s committee helping to plan the ceremony for November 11th. Skip is a man of character and steadfast beliefs. One thing is for certain he has taken his service to his country very seriously and is very devoted to honoring our Bristal residents on Veteran’s Day.

North Woodmere’s Employee of the Month – Freddie Gonzale

Freddie was born and raised in El Salvador. He came to New York in 1990. Freddie is married to Amalia and they have four children, Dennis, Jovani, Naomi, Alcidis and one granddaughter. He enjoys soccer and baseball and is a huge Yankees fan. In his spare time he enjoys working on his house. Freddie started working for the Bristal in 2002 at our Westbury property and came to North Woodmere in October 2003. Freddie likes working at the Bristal. He enjoys the environment and thinks the people are very nice. He gets along with everyone. “I love watching Freddie cook. When he is making breakfast, the whole building smells delicious because he puts so much love into his work”, said Dana. Congratulations on being the Bristal’s employee of the month. Keep up the good work!

The Story of Ralph’s Dollar From The Bristal at Lynbrook

Ralph DeMatteo went to Atlantic City last month on a bus from Valley Stream with his friends. The bus held 50 people that day. On the bus they play a game called chuck a buck. Each person on the bus puts their name on a dollar bill and then puts it in a pot. There are 5 winners to the game. Each winner gets $10.00. Unfortunately Ralph did not win that day. Last week Ralph went the Belmont Racetrack. He played 6 games. On the 6th game Ralph won $121.00. He was so excited so he cashed his ticket in and counted his money. Ralph could not believe his eyes. He received back the dollar bill with his name on it. The same dollar bill that he put in the pot for the chuck a buck game going to Atlantic City! What are the odds of that? That dollar bill circulated from Lynbrook to Atlantic City and then to the Belmont Racetrack and back in the pocket of Ralph DeMatteo!!