‘I like basketball and bocce. For bocce, rule one is to line up the pallino. Rule two is aim straight, roll straight. Rule three is to do the bocce boogie.’

Nesconset

“Special Olympics is the only place Zach can go and see people with Down syndrome. I’ve never seen such a competitive streak in him since he started playing. As quiet as he is, this brought him out of his shell a lot; being able to get out there and play these sports and play them on his own.

“You have to abide by the rules. You want to be treated like everyone else; you’re going to play by the rules and earn every medal you get. He has won over 20 medals and multiple ribbons. Most of them are for track and field. It makes him so happy and proud.

Since joining the Special Olympics, it’s the first time he’s been invited to birthday parties. He has his own friends. It’s the best thing that ever happened to him.

“As hard as he works at Special Olympics, the fun has never been taken out. They’re having fun and laughing, and yet they’re challenged. They’re learning. Since joining the Special Olympics, it’s the first time he’s been invited to birthday parties. He has his own friends. It’s the best thing that ever happened to him. It’s been good for the whole family. It was nice for my husband and I to connect with other moms and dads who understood. We weren’t different. Zach wasn’t different. We were part of something more.

“For Zach’s siblings, getting to know other siblings of kids who have Down syndrome or autism, it was nice for them to have that perspective. They knew exactly what life was like for them at home. You feel like you’re walking into something where everybody already understands and they get you. We don’t get the ‘Poor Zach. I’m so sorry he has Down syndrome.’ There’s nothing to be sorry about. This is our life, and we love our life. We wouldn’t change a thing.”

Interviewed by Betsy Abraham

‘It’s so rewarding that 20 years after my first class, I still see my first students on calls helping people.’

Robert Mackay, Wantagh

“I am a retired New York City Police Department Sergeant and currently a Police Science/EMT instructor. I started with the NYPD in the 79 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and then went to narcotics, was promoted to Detective, and then to Sergeant. At that time I did a tour in Internal Affairs (not by choice). Afterwards, I was assigned to a joint NYPD/FBI task force within the Organized Crime and Investigation Division. This was where I spent my last five years.

“With 9/11, we became terrorist investigators, eventually going back to drug enforcement. When I hit my 20th anniversary, I decided I was going to leave, but not until I had something to go to. I saw an ad in “Newsday” for a police science/EMT instructor and thought I might have the qualifications. They called me for an interview, and I thought that was the end of it— until I was called again and hired. I went to the Police Academy and said, ‘I’m retiring and teaching high school. What do you have for me to teach kids?’ They gave me their law curriculum so I had something to start because I didn’t know a lot about teaching. I had to go back to school to get an MA in education, so I was teaching part time and going to school.

I love when I’m teaching something that they don’t understand, I explain it a different way, maybe even a third way, and all of a sudden the light bulb goes on…

“As a teacher at Gerald R. Claps Career and Technical Center, I really like interacting with students. I love when I’m teaching something that they don’t understand, I explain it a different way, maybe even a third way, and all of a sudden the light bulb goes on-‘I got it!’

“I also work with the volunteer fire department in Wantagh and I encourage my students to volunteer as well. It’s so rewarding that 20 years after my first class, I still see my first students on calls helping people. Many of my students become EMTs. About 25 percent of my former students are cops, firemen, or EMS. It’s great when I see my students actually working and using something that I taught them. I have a few that I ride with regularly in an ambulance, and I just sit back and watch. I wouldn’t let them do anything wrong, of course. Some are certified as paramedics and they’re really making a difference out there.

“I’ve been very lucky my whole life. Who looks in the newspaper and finds a job that they love this much?”

‘Don’t be cocky; be confident. There’s a really big difference in that.’

Sal DiBenedetto, Babylon

“At 14, I got into the restaurant business. I started as a dishwasher, moved my way to a busboy, and eventually became a waiter. I fell in love with the industry and guiding people through the dining experience. That was the inspiration for my blog, @TheGrubfather. Instagram gave me an opportunity to be a waiter to the world. It’s the most followed food blog on Long Island. I present people with unique dishes and tell them about them. It feels like I am continuing with that spirit of the industry in a way that evolved with the times.

“There’s something beautiful about the dining experience and coming together for food. Now, I am a content creator, an entrepreneur, a writer and a photographer. I’m always looking for dishes that have a ‘Wow!’ factor, that make people excited and evoke feelings. Food is the ultimate storyteller, whether it’s about someone’s heritage or a crazy idea they had when they were drunk. I try to bring that to life with the blog. It has shaped a lot about who I am, and now I’ve opened a restaurant called The Grub Shop in Huntington Village. It takes the different things I’ve learned about the world, businesses, restaurants and the Long Island community, and it brings it into one hub.

There’s something beautiful about the dining experience and coming together for food.

“I was inspired by Anthony Bourdain. I stumbled onto his show, Parts Unknown, and it changed my life. I booked a flight to Thailand, Paris and Hawaii right after I finished the third episode. It kickstarted my blog and everything that I have now. At the Grub Shop, I am honoring his legacy with a huge mural done by Andaluz, a local artist. I’ve started to invest in the idea that I can do anything I put my mind to, especially the things I am passionate about.

“Many people have fantastic ideas and everybody has what it takes to see them through. People get lost due to a lack in confidence. You’ll be successful once you get that inner desire to chase your dreams and turn them into goals. You have to look on the inside of yourself and use that to shape how the world sees you. Don’t be cocky; be confident. There’s a really big difference in that. It’s all about your attitude, humbleness, and appreciation for the people who get you where you are.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘I was concerned about telling people when I got pregnant again. I felt like I didn’t breathe for the first 12 weeks because I didn’t want something to go wrong.’

Massapequa

“I had a miscarriage at two months. It was traumatic. The first thing people say to you is, ‘It’s so common.’ Despite that, almost nobody talks about it. The whole process of fertility was stressful, and people are secretive about that too. I was concerned about telling people when I got pregnant again. I felt like I didn’t breathe for the first 12 weeks because I didn’t want something to go wrong.

“I was at school when I felt something was off. The doctor said my cervix was funneling. It was opening and closing. She sent me to the hospital, where I was kept under observation for a few days. Luckily, I went across the street afterward for an EKG appointment for the babies. The doctor said, ‘I think you’re going to have the kids today; we need to get you back to the hospital. They’re going to do whatever they can to keep the kids in.’

With medication, I made it to 24 weeks. Then 25. Then 26. I was at the hospital the whole time. They were born at 27 weeks and two days.

“I had just hit 23 weeks. The nurse who came in my hospital room said we could try to resuscitate them, but the chance of them surviving without serious illnesses was not good. That was the worst day. With medication, I made it to 24 weeks. Then 25. Then 26. I was at the hospital the whole time. They were born at 27 weeks and two days.

“Jackson was in the hospital for 93 days; Mae was in for 73. In the NICU, I would see tired, terrified women take their babies home. I also saw women who didn’t take them home. Mae was 1 pound, 10 ounces. Jackson was 2 pounds, 3 ounces. They were both on breathing support. Jackson had a whole slew of things, including E. coli at two weeks old. They had to treat him with an IV in his leg that got infected. Mae had an easier ride.

“Now they’re doing really well. At 2 ½, they’re on the tiny side, but they’re healthy. I see such growth in them. I wish I had more people to talk to when I was going through all of it. It’s important to have a support system and appreciate the people in your life who are there for you. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t do this.’ When I look back, I think, ‘Wow, look at what you can do even though you didn’t think you could.’ I learned that I am stronger than I think I am.”