By Danielle Campbell

Today I spent time on a food line in Port Jeff Station with needy Long Islanders, who, like all of us, are trying to make ends meet.  I met Elio Sartos who just lost his job and has 7 mouths to feed. He has a part time job now, but he tells me it is not enough to pay all the bills. So he comes to the Lighthouse Mission Food pantry to pick up whatever he can to help feed his family!

My story today was about turkey donations.  We reported that most Long Island charities are without a single turkey yet–so close to the Thanksgiving Holidays. Like all of us, families that are struggling also hope to have a peaceful, stress free Thanksgiving, a time when they too can put aside their worries, even if it is for one meal, and focus on giving thanks.

And although Elio says his family gives thanks for every meal they eat, there is something about Thanksgiving that resonates in all of our hearts and our homes.  For many of us it is a chance to regroup, reconnect and reknew hope that life, despite it’s challenges, will get better.

For familes trying to make ends meet, receiving a turkey and the trimmings for a Thanksgiving Dinner, is a delivery of dignity and an act of kindness. And for these families, you can be sure on Thanksgiving, they will be focused on what it means to truly give thanks.

www.lighthousemission.net
www.islandharvest.org
www.longislandcares.com

By Danielle Campbell

This kid is too cute!
9 year old Scott McKinnon, who lives in Levittown, decided he wanted to be News 12 Long Island personality “DOUG GEED” for Halloween!

When asked why— the 4th grader at Northside Elementary School said because he wakes up to News 12 every morning and he likes watching Doug!

We all got such a hoot out of hearing that someone would want to be Doug, and we decided to bring Scott into our studios and check out his costume!

Scott not only had the grey hair, the tie, the impeccable “Doug Geed” look, he was also calm, cool and collected just like Doug!
And when we asked him to read some of the stories live on our air, Scott was flawless!

Scott made our jobs look easy!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

By Danielle Campbell

Alvin Rueda (a talented editor, writer and producer and photojournalist extroadinaire) and Dave Garden put together today’s story on the Memory Walk.  Alvin and Dave edited and shot the event. It is a beautiful segment that captures the human spirit at its best and showcases our ability to strive for change. All of us have been touched by suffering, pain, sadness and tragedy. How inspiring is it to see a group of people take their sadness, their loss, and use it as a force to bring about hope!
Dave and Alvin captured that in their segment today. Alvin asked me if I would post on my blog memories of his grandfather, who recently passed away. It is my honor to present to you Alvin’s tribute to Grandfather:

Memory Walk

Last Sunday I joined thousands of people from the tri-state area to walk and raise funds for The Alzheimer’s Association. I was never aware of this disease until my grandfather, Felicismo Rueda, was struck with it. I knew about the disease but didn’t think much of it. He passed away last month during a crucial stage of Alzheimers. Alzheimer’s started affecting him two years ago. My family started seeing signs of the disease from his actions. As months pass, symptoms of Alzheimer’s were clearly showing. His last year in this world was tough for my family. There were days where he would forget his own kids, where he lives, and events that happened in his life time. He would only remember my grandmother and certain occurrences he dealt with in life. Every time I saw him, I had to remind him who I was. I can only imagine how his thought process worked. Everyday he woke up lost and confused about his present being. Felicisimo Rueda had a big impact to anyone that had or has the last name Rueda, as well as others. People should not have to deal with the horrendous disease my grandfather suffered. People should raise more awareness, and, hopefully, we can find better treatments and possibly a cure for Alzheimer’s.
Alvin Rueda

By Danielle Campbell

Gerald Wasik has several photos and albums from a time in his life that seems like a lifetime ago.

He points to one photo of two young men onboard a Navy Destroyer and he tells me it is his friend Fred from buffalo and then he points to a guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and says, “This is me.”

It’s the spring of 1968.  Gerald Wasik was 22, enlisted in the NAVY and onboard the USS Samuel N Moore Naval Destroyer that was patrolling the Saigon River. The ship supplied short range gun fire support for the ground troops that were fighting in the enemy infested jungles along the river.

Wasik tells me gunmen had to guard the ship because the Vietnamese were coming onboard the ship to steal food and supplies, and then he adds, “That’s how close we were.”

Wasik also says he was also close enough to see planes spraying agent orange to defoliate the jungles.  Wasik, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, says the Saigon river was full of the herbicide and that is the reason he has the disease.
Wasik explains to me how the Navy used that water they sat on: “We distilled the water in evaporators and used that water for cooking, drinking, cleaning–we used that water for everything.”

Although Vietnam vets who had so called “boots on the Ground” receive medical coverage for agent orange related diseases, the current laws ignore vets who served on the water.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wants to change that and introduced new legislation that would provide health coverage for more than 800,000 Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange who served in the air or on the sea.

Medical experts have long documented the link between Agent orange and diabetes type 2, but they say it is hard to determine. That’s because three decades have passed since soldiers were exposed to the defoliant.

But Gerald Wasik has no doubt in his mind he got the diabetes from exposure–and he wants his country that he served to now serve him: Wasik ended the interview by saying to me:  “The big deal today is the health care and we can’t even help our veterans.”

By Danielle Campbell

It was gloomy on Sunday, the wind would not let up, the rain was aggravating and everyone seemed on edge in the house. I said, “Let’s go to the Apple Festival!”  The kids balked at me and said “Mom, there is no way they’re having that today!”
Almost every year the kids and I try to get over to The Huntington Historical Society’s Apple Festival. It was held this Sunday, the weekend of the Oyster Bay Oyster Fest and I thought–wow a double whammy, a big event in a neighboring hamlet and a nor’easter to boot! But, just for a brief moment, I forgot who I was dealing with. People who believe in preserving history and heritage are not the types to let a little rainstorm blow away all their hard work and effort!
I just knew they would be there at the Kissam House on Park Ave. with their apples and scare crows and hot cider!

I convinced the kids to take a ride, and for those of you who have kids, you can imagine the task–”Come on guys–let’s go to the Huntington Historical Society’s Apple Festival!” Which meant turn off your computer games, your ipods, your videos and let’s go have fun in the pouring rain. I must say the odds were stacked against me–but for some miraculous reason, they came. I guess if you build it they will come.

We piled in, drove to the Apple Fest, and to my amazement, within minutes they were stuffing scarecrows, painting pumkins, dipping candles, screaming their way through the haunted barn, eating candy apples and hot dogs!

I was so happy I didn’t give in, I was so happy I came out to support those who don’t give up and I was so happy to enjoy a windy, wet, fall day with my kids having what was truly “Good Old Fashion Fun!”