Howard Blankman at
Dolphin Bookshop
Howard Blankman, a long time resident of Port Washington, recently published a children’s book called Hope Can Make It Happen. The book introduces the “Learn-a-Word” concept to encourage children to learn a new word everyday and ultimately 365 words over the course of a year. His story focuses on Hope, a young girl growing up in Port Washington during the Great Depression. Taking place around Christmastime, Hope, with her optimistic nature, tries to make the best of her family’s deprived situation, an experience Mr. Blankman himself went through.
“It’s based on an incident that happened when I was a little kid,” said Mr. Blankman. “I passed it onto my five kids, and they loved it. They urged me to make it into a children’s story, so I did!”
Soon after completing his book, Mr. Blankman contacted Dolphin Bookshop for a special book-signing event, which took place on Sunday, March 15th from 2 to 4 p.m . Dolphin Bookshop hosts a myriad of occasions with an upcoming book signing on April 4 with Louis Gasparro and live music each Friday night.
“The Dolphin Bookshop is one of the few private bookstores around,” said Blankman when asked why he chose Dolphin Bookshop to launch his book. “It boosts literacy in Port Washington, which I’m all for.”
At the event, Mr. Blankman thanked his family and friends for their assistance in writing the book and proceeded to do a live reading to the growing audience. Fellow residents, writers, and children arrived to purchase a signed copy from Mr. Blankman, including Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio.
“Mr. Blankman is a friend and local resident, and we like to support our residents here in Port Washington,” said De Giorgio.
Hope Can Make It Happen can be purchased at Dolphin Bookshop.
~ Julia Kim
Zumba fundraiser raises money for charities
Juniors Tracy Naschek and Milan Sani spent their Sunday afternoon dancing and making a difference. Together, they organized a Zumba fundraiser on March 29, with the goal of contributing to two charities.
Half of their proceeds went to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).
“I have Crohn’s disease, and CCFA raises money and awareness to find a cure,” said Naschek. “It’s a really great charity and I’m happy to help any way that I can.”
The other half went towards a charity called Children’s Hope 3 (CH3). Milan Sani, along with a few other girls, founded CH3 about a year ago.
“Children’s Hope 3 focuses on raising money for local shelters,” said Sani. “We provide school supplies, food, money, clothing and Christmas presents to those in need living across Long Island.”
In addition, CH3 has sent four homeless children to sleep away camp, and plans to send six more kids to camp this summer with the money earned from the event.
With the help of friends, family, and generous donations, Naschek and Sani were able to raise $1,800 in just one afternoon. A local Port Washington gym, the Training Station, offered the space necessary to make this event happen and donated the instructor, Nathan Blake.
~ Miranda Tanenbaum