East Meadow
HERALD District budget vote on June 9
Hundreds protest for George Floyd
Entering Phase 1 of reopening
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Vol. 20 No. 23
JUNE 4 - 10, 2020
E.M. family lends a hand Sisters and their dad support local causes with home car wash The Diazes charge $10 to wash large vehicles and $8 for small ones, and have donated 75 perA van pulled into the drive- cent of the proceeds, plus any way of the Diaz home in East additional donations, to Nina’s Meadow on May 30 and, within Deli and the No Kill Project. minutes, Damien Nina’s is an East Diaz and his Meadow caterdaughters Ysa, 10, ing company and Celia, 9, went that has donated to work. meals to medical Celia began and emergency wiping the vehicle services workers down with cleaner, for the past two while Ysa months. And the scrubbed its tires. No Kill Project is Damien sprayed it a Bayshorewith a hose, quietbased animal ly singing along as rescue g roup the Beatles’ “Hey that advocates Jude” played from for an end to the a Bluetooth speakkilling of shelter er. The hot spring animals through sun painted raineducation, sterilbows on the wet ization and adopblacktop as it tion. began to run with “We’ve gotten DAmIEN DIAZ foaming, soapy some pretty sigEast Meadow father water. nificant donaThe Diaz family tions, too,” h a s ke p t b u s y Damien said, through the coroadding that one navirus pandemic by starting resident stopped by for a wash their own car wash business for and added a $500 tip for the two local residents who otherwise charitable causes. couldn’t patronize one due to the Ysa and Celia have been sav“New York on Pause” shutdown. ing the remaining 25 percent of “We’re doing it for charity, but sales for another pet. They curthey’re learning a lot along the rently have a cat they adopted way,” Damien said. “It’s a good from the Town of Hempstead experience for them to learn how Animal Shelter, two orange kitto speak to people and deal with tens that they adopted from the transactions.” No Kill Project and four kittens “I learned how to wash cars,” they are fostering from the same Ysa said. “I also learned how to agency. They also have a pit bull make a difference.” Continued on page 9
By BRIAN STIEGlITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
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Courtesy Jamie Mack
ANDRE lEwIS, A security guard at Parkway Elementary School in East Meadow, died of Covid-19 complications on May 16. He was 40.
Remembering ‘Mr. Andre’
Security guard dies of Covid-19 complications By BRIAN STIEGlITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
Every morning, students at Parkway Elementary School, in East Meadow, would hop out of their cars and start their day with a greeting from Andre Lewis, a.k.a. “Mr. Andre.” According to Jamie Mack, the school’s principal, Lewis not only knew the children by name, but also chatted with them about their interests. “He’d be out there in rain
— he was out there in snow,” Mack said. “It didn’t matter, he’d be out there to greet the kids.” Roughly two months ago, Lewis was hospitalized with C ov i d - 1 9 s y m p t o m s. H e remained in a hospital for 49 days, during which his health declined until he lost the ability to breathe on his own. He died on May 16 of complications related to the virus. He was 40. Lewis had diabetes, but his wife, Shamika Parkinson,
said he was working on improving his diet and went to the gym several times a week at 6 a.m., before work. He was always walking, and couldn’t sit still because of his diabetes. “He always said he had to keep moving around or he might fall asleep,” Parkinson added. Mack created a GoFundMe page the day Lewis died for his wife and their daughter, Tamia Lewis, 12. East MeadContinued on page 4
e’re doing it for charity, but they’re learning a lot along the way. It’s a good experience for them to learn how to speak to people and deal with transactions.