Friends,
As I drove up to the Outreach Center at 7:30 AM on Monday, November 21st, there was already a line for our Thanksgiving distribution, and it was raining. I opened the church so that they could shelter from the rain until we started distribution at 9:45. I gave each family a numbered ticket and while wet, they were happy as they knew they were about to receive a full quality Thanksgiving meal for their family.
Friends,
I am in constant awe of the breadth, depth, and reach of services to the community that the Outreach Center is able to provide and the number of people we are able to touch and serve on a weekly basis.
A quick, sincere “Shout Out” to Rich Schaffer and Tony Martinez who could not have been more supportive to the Outreach Center over the past two COVID years; they are always a phone call or email away to bring our community initiatives to fruition. Their response time to my calls and emails is always quite incredible, and they are faithfully here to help anyone in need. If they could not correct or champion an issue, they advise me who could or where to go. Example: I contacted Rich and Tony in January 2021 to see if I could host a community-based pop up and after their counsel and support we hosted a Pop Up in February and March!
Friends.
“Mr. Joe, look at my Spiderman backpack,” said a boy as he ran up to me and showed off his newly obtained bag for school. He said “cool”, and I said “way cool!” His older sister rolled her eyes at him (and me) but said thank you as she passed by with her backpack. Her mother smiled saying “Gracias” as they walked home. This has been the spirit of the Outreach “Back-to-School Backpack Program” this year. The children are ready to get back to school and some sense of normalcy after being virtual learners for over a year. We first distributed to registered families a few weeks ago but then held a distribution for non-registered families on August 30th; we will continue to distribute backpacks, supplies, and masks as long as our inventory holds. This is a valued effort and a much-needed community service.
The Gerald J. Ryan Summer Camp at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Wyandanch has served the community for nearly 40 years. We enroll 150 children in Grades One through Six. Our goal is to foster the growth of self-esteem in our children as we give them educational and recreational opportunities that would not be readily available to them.
Our goal is to foster the growth of self-esteem in our children as we give them educational and recreational opportunities that would not be readily available to them. The summer camp has an educational component, which is reinforced by our staff of dedicated certified teachers. . The summer camp allows the children of Wyandanch to get off the streets and into classrooms where they have the opportunity to grow and feel safe during the summer. Campers are encouraged to build friendships, set goals and aspirations for the future.
The parish hall of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church in Wyandanch was humming with activity on Sunday, Nov. 19, as approximately 150 volunteers of various ages and faith backgrounds worked feverishly to assemble bags of Thanksgiving Day food that would be distributed to people in need living in the communities surrounding the church.
–Basketball Clinic: this year, Adventureland sponsored the clinic by donating 150 basketballs, snacks and water. Alfie, their mascot, came and participated in all the drills to the delight of the campers! 92 degree weather on blacktop can get very hot but Alfie was a hero and stayed in role and costume the entire time. Joe Gibbons Jr and Justin Hassenfeld ran the clinic and the pictures on the website says it all! It was cute that the campers wanted Alfie to autograph their basketballs.
FROM THE DESK OF JOE GIBBONS (Ryan Outreach Board President) — May 19th / Reporting after the 2nd of 8 scheduled clinic Mondays.
The Police Officers of the First Precinct, the Police Athletic League, some St John the Baptist DHS coaches, the TOB parks team, Councilman and Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, the Outreach Center, and a few local Wyandanch parents are using focused, community-building actions to help bridge the gap between local law enforcement and Wyandanch youth.
Our new Bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, John O. Barres, came to be the celebrant of the 9:30am mass at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Tuesday, March 25th.
Afterwards, he visited the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach and was given the “grand tour” by Joe, Noelle Naycha and others.
