What is a community?

One could easily visit any number of websites to learn the definition but you’d be hard pressed to find a definition for a ‘great’ community.

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This past week I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand those special qualities that differentiate a regular community from a great community.

The Suffern Police Department has been running a toy drive for our community for the past 19 years.  On Friday December 18^th, at 10:00AM Chief Osborn, Sgt. Jon Diroma, Sgt. Dave Tarantino, PO Jim Giannettino, Det. Anne Cawley, PO Lou Venturini. PO Benjie Arena (retired) and Mike Malandra, renowned photographer and owner of Malandra’s Martial Arts Center assembled at the Suffern Police Department. 

The first order of the day was to empty the PODS container.  The PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) was donated to the police department in order to store all of the donated toys.  It wasn’t big enough.

Using the DARE Pickup truck, the Suffern Police Department’s SUV and a dump truck, the PODS was emptied and the toys were transported to the community center.

Two teams then split up to make pickups at local schools, Airmont Village Hall, Avon, Nicky’s Pizza and the Suffern Free Library.  The volunteers were greeted warmly as the toys were loaded into vehicles.

At the Police Station, toys were still coming in.  The Suffern Department of Public Works stepped forward to transport these toys to the community center. 

On Sunday morning, December 20^th, the masses started to arrive at the community center.  More than 65 volunteers of all ages, backgrounds and yes even folks with different religious practices came out to help.  They came from all over the area.  Families brought young children, teenagers came out to help, senior citizens came out to help and Suffern’s new mayor came out to help.

Toys were sorted into age appropriate piles and then the volunteers were given a list to ‘shop’ for.  Girl age 7, Boy age 4 and so on.  A tremendous amount of thought went into selecting the gifts and into the bag they went.

These weren’t dollar store items; the people of our community generously donated all sorts of really nice toys.  I’ll admit, I did have my eye on a remote controlled Hummer complete with a trailer carrying an ATV—but some lucky boy will be delighted on Christmas morning instead.

I also eyed a Frogger video game that looked like a miniature version of the arcade game from the 80's but a Cub Scout grabbed it for a child on his list.  I protested but as Trustee Bruce Simon, a scout leader himself pointed out “Watch out for the Scouts, they carry pocket knives, know how to tie knots and they travel in packs.”  I wisely decided to let the kid put the game in the bag for the youngster on his list.

Montebello Resident Nancy Selchick donated seven beautiful hand made, hand decorated doll houses.  Each doll house had a wrapped package attached which I suspect contained furnishings and perhaps even dolls.  Nancy must have put hours and hours into this endeavor all to make seven girls who she doesn’t know, happy on Christmas morning.

Toys poured in from local temples.  Some folks shopped for an entire family in need, others bought a special toy for a specific child.  They gave it to the police department to anonymously ensure that a child in need received the toy they really wanted.

Approximately 95 families in need were taken care of on Sunday.  Thirteen packages were sent to Sloatsburg.  In Sloatsburg, senior citizens wrap the gifts for each child before they they are picked up by the families.  The calls didn’t stop; 13 families in need in the Village of Tuxedo and families in other areas including just over the border in New Jersey. By Monday afternoon more than 120 families received packages containing toys, caring and hope.  Nobody was turned away thanks to the generosity of the people in our community.

Each of these police officers who helped out was off-duty.  They came in on their own time to put smiles on the faces of children.  The voluminous response to this toy drive is a testament to the fine job that Suffern P.D. does all year.  

So what is the definition of a great community?  No easy answer can accurately define a great community.  This is probably why the dictionaries provide definitions of the words ‘great’ and ‘community’ separately.

Perhaps the only way to really understand what makes a community great is to actually be fortunate enough to live in a great community.  If this is the case, we should all consider ourselves very fortunate to live in what truly is a great community; a community where so many go above and beyond to look out for those with so little.

A Merry Christmas to those who celebrate the day and a Happy New Year to all.