Kindness Day Planned In Town Of Oyster Bay; Neighbors Honored

OYSTER BAY, NY — A day dedicated to kindness is coming to the Town of Oyster Bay. Councilwoman Laura Maier and the town board declared Monday "Random Acts of Kindness Day" in the town, a nationally-recognized holiday. Under the initiative, Maier recognized several people making a difference in their communities.

Amy Recco of Massapequa Park was recognized along with Michael Dell'Anno and Gregg Thomas, both of Massapequa, for their efforts to collect more than 1,000 toys for Cohen Children’s Medical Center through the Mighty Mason's Warriors Initiative.

"Their effort was randomly and kindly put together after they learned that my 3-year-old son, Mason, was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia," Maier said. "Mason has battled this disease like a true warrior, and before the holidays, he expressed a desire to hand out toys to his fellow warriors at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Thanks to these kind-hearted residents, this became possible."

Maier and fellow Councilman Lou Imbroto also recognized Plainview resident Jay Asparro, who ran 100 miles over 24 hours in November and raised nearly $100,000 for the Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center. Asparro took on the initiative in memory of his late grandmother, Ann Asparro, who died of Alzheimer's.

"Not only is this an incredible athletic accomplishment, it is also an inspirational humanitarian achievement," Imbroto said.

Children are taught kindness in school, Imbroto said, but sometimes adults need a nudge, too. Simple, positive actions can go a long way.

"The goal here is to create a ripple effect and inspire others," he said. "Hopefully by providing kindness to others, they will be inspired to do the same.”

Maier said that can be as small as paying someone a small compliment, telling someone how you feel about them, or even saying "thank you."

"We should all strive to be more kind in our everyday lives," she said.

The town pointed residents to randomactsofkindness.org for inspiration on spreading kindness. Some suggestions include:

• Learn something new about a colleague
• Wheel out (or in) a neighbor's trash bin
• Send a positive email
• Send someone a "good morning" or "good night" message