‘This is a community of very caring people. Despite all the negativity in the world, this work is proof that there are more good people than bad ones.’

Copiague

“I always wanted a rabbit when I was a child, but my parents didn’t want the responsibility. Soon after moving out of my childhood home, I adopted two rabbits. I found the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group when I was online researching how to best care for my bunnies.

“I attended an event and enjoyed it so much that I ended up volunteering with the organization. At the time, I was not happy with my job, and volunteering gave me such a positive outlet. It made me a better partner, friend and family member.

“I volunteer with the LIRRG now. It saves abandoned, neglected and abused domestic rabbits and educates the public about how to properly care for these sweet creatures.

“Over the past 10 years, I have experienced some very memorable rescues. Once, a conductor at the Long Island Rail Road found a white rabbit cowering under a bench on an elevated platform. The rabbit was not in a cage, and there was nothing stopping him from hopping onto the tracks! Luckily, we were able to get ahold of him and find him a loving forever home.

We put all potential adoptees through a rigorous screening process because rabbits — like any other animal — cannot be an impulse purchase.

“On another occasion, a rabbit was found abandoned in a Sears bathroom at the Broadway Mall. I often think about a little rabbit named Paisley who I fostered during the pandemic in 2020. She had lost the use of her back legs; we assume she was hit by a car or dropped by a human.

“LIRRG can get 40 to 60 calls a month about abandoned rabbits, and many times the people who find the rabbits end up adopting them. This is a community of very caring people. Despite all the negativity in the world, this work is proof that there are more good people than bad ones.

“We put all potential adoptees through a rigorous screening process because rabbits — like any other animal — cannot be an impulse purchase. People need to understand that rabbits can live over 10 years, they need special diets, safe indoor spaces and vets who understand their physiology.

“If something can be chewed, it will be chewed! If you have a rabbit that you cannot care for, surrender it to a rescue. Please don’t abandon it.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘I remember sitting there thinking that I must not be worth anything.’

Copiague

“I’m the youngest of eight. My biological parents were not able to provide properly for us. That’s not a condemnation, just the reality of the situation. At the age of 3, I was placed in my first foster home, a cruel, abusive and traumatic experience. Thank goodness for the profession of social work. They picked up on something, and they rescued me and placed me in my second foster home in Amityville while I was still 3.

“The day I left, the lady I was placed with got me dressed, took me downstairs, sat me on the steps, went back inside and slammed the door. I remember sitting there thinking that I must not be worth anything. And my next thought was that this was a cold, cruel world. I told myself, don’t ever count on anybody or ask for help. I reasoned that the same way I had been left sitting out there is the way it would always be. Then a car pulled up, a social worker got out, took me by the hand and opened the back door. And there was this beautiful woman who was my saving grace. On the other side of her was the youngest of my older brothers. He and I were reunited and grew up together in that loving home.

“Those are some of the details of the powerful impact social work had on my life. Social workers supported my brother and me as we grew up. We were able to go to summer camp every year. When I showed an interest in playing the drums, they provided me with all the materials I needed. It made it possible for us to join the Boy Scouts.

“Another defining moment was when I was 16. I got into trouble, and my social worker showed up in court along with my foster parents and minister. I remember the judge saying he would sentence me to probation instead of sending me to reform school because I had such a strong support system. That was another positive impact that social work had. I learned that the purpose and mission of social work is to empower others. Those are all examples of the ways I experienced the profession. As I got older, I started to understand that you hear so many negative stories about social workers and the profession. But my story is the antidote. I always stand up and say, but that wasn’t my experience.”

I’d like to pay homage to my biological parents who gave me life, my foster parents who made my life, and thank God for the profession of social work because it saved my life.

“I went to Suffolk Community College to earn my associate degree in broadcasting. I just wanted to be DJ. While there, I got an opportunity to do an independent study and did a documentary on foster care as a tribute to my late foster mother. I decided to tell stories of those who helped others thrive like my foster mother did for me. So I went to Brooklyn College for broadcast journalism. While studying there, I started a public affairs program called ‘Viewpoints.’ It grew in popularity, and that’s how I honed my skills. I became the first African American student to be president and general manager of the college radio station.

“While at college and afterward, I worked in mental health helping clients with various mental health diagnoses. Years later, I also started producing public affairs programming for radio station Z-100. In 2009, my wife suggested I get my master’s in social work. When I asked her why, she said, ‘You volunteer with youth, you work in human services, and you’re a product of the system.’ I enrolled in Adelphi, going from 2010 to 2014. During that time and afterward, I continued to work in the mental health field. I was also teaching in a career training school, helping students to succeed.

“I currently work with the homeless veteran population as a HUD-VASH [HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing] social worker. I decided to combine my two professions, which are also my passions. I formed Kelsunn Communications and created the ‘Kelsunn-on-the-Air’ social work podcast, which promotes, highlights and uplifts the social work profession and educates the general public to the vital contributions professional social workers make. The pinnacle of this journey was on June 24 in Washington, D.C. I was honored with National Association of Social Workers Foundation 2022 International Rhoda G. Sarnat Award, given to an individual, group or organization that has significantly advanced the public image of professional social work. I wrapped up my acceptance speech saying, ‘I’d like to pay homage to my biological parents who gave me life, my foster parents who made my life, and thank God for the profession of social work because it saved my life.’”

Interviewed by Liza Burby

‘I will always love Ireland. You never forget where you’re born. My culture reminds me of my independence and braveness.’

Copiague

“I was born in Ireland in a lovely little county in a village on a plateau called Roscommon. We had a farm where I used to feed the animals. We would grow potatoes, and I’d have to sow the vegetables in the ground. I’d bake potato bread and soda bread. I would enjoy watching “Little House on the Prairie,” and while watching would say, ‘One day, I’m coming to America.’

“I came to the great country of the United States when I was 23 and landed in New Hyde Park. I’m the oldest of eight kids, and I’m the only one that ventured out to New York. I didn’t know a soul. I said, ‘I’m going to give myself six months to a year.’ I was a bit homesick, but I wouldn’t give in.

“By six months, I knew everybody! I was 37 when I met Frankie in the Nassau County Inn, where the Irish music was playing, and he was on the keyboard. I met him again a while later in the Catskills. That’s when we decided to go out together.

“Back in Ireland, I would sing in different bands, so I did it here, too. Frankie thought I was so good of a singer that he wanted to get a band together with me. The two of us became Mary G. and Frankie Lees. When I get a four-piece band to play with me, I call us Mary G. and Shamrock. I love to do a lot of Patsy Kline, but we do a mixture of everything.

I came to the great country of the United States when I was 23 and landed in New Hyde Park.

“Frankie and I got married back in Ireland three years after meeting. The wedding was in Strokestown, in County Roscommon, in a nice hotel there called the Percy French. The ceremony was in the church in Ballagh, Kilrooskey, where I was raised and went to Mass.

“I will always love Ireland. You never forget where you’re born. When I go there, it is not a vacation; it is very emotional because it’s hard leaving and saying goodbye to my family. Now I put up St. Patrick’s Day decorations, and I am a part of the Irish community. I perform all over Long Island and in the Catskills, as well as other parts of America, Ireland and England. It keeps my heritage alive.

“My culture reminds me of my independence and braveness. I can keep enjoying my culture through my music and sharing my memories and homeland with my husband and friends. After all, Irish people have a great sense of humor and know how to have a good time.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘Alcohol and drugs robbed me of remembering the joy where my gifts were able to take me but getting sober did redirect my creativity.’

Copiague

“It was a constant struggle growing up in a religious home, wanting to be an entertainer despite my parents wishing I’d become a leader in the ministry. It was alcohol that became my avenue to escape both the difficulties of performing and the path my parents expected of me.

“After graduating from a performing arts conservatory, I took jobs entertaining, singing and touring on the Caribbean, then across Asia, Europe and the U.S. for several seasons. My body began to require a break, not just from touring but the combination of poisons I was taking into my body and the rigorous movement required for me to perform the way that I do.

“My rock bottom was the point where not only was vodka not getting me drunk anymore, but I physically couldn’t function, from getting out of bed to forming a complete sentence without relying on substances. It was rehab that saved my life. It was at an upstate facility where a nurse asked me what day it was as I was being assessed. I had no idea what month we were in, let alone the day. She placed her hand on my thigh and said, ‘April 29th, it is April 29th.’ That’s the day my new journey began.

When I was out in the world, suffering from addiction, my mother would always plead with me to return to church. Although I did not become a pastor like my father, her vision for my life has manifested itself in a way that has become my greatest fulfillment.

As I started to regain clarity, I realized I lost many memories from my musical theater touring days. Alcohol and drugs robbed me of remembering the joy where my gifts were able to take me but getting sober did redirect my creativity.

“I wrote recovery-based songs with a soulful vibe in treatment and then performed them for the fellowship. This showed me that there is a clear intention for the purpose of my existence here on Earth. Now with two years of sobriety, I focus on uplifting others, with motivational videos on Instagram and speaking engagements in the rooms of AA.

“When I was out in the world, suffering from addiction, my mother would always plead with me to return to church. Her hope for my life was to become a leader in the ministry. She has since passed away, and although I did not become a pastor like my father, her vision for my life has manifested itself in a way that has become my greatest fulfillment. Today, I speak in front of crowds of people, referencing a powerful book, that happens to be big, spreading a message of love and hope.”

Interviewed by Ian J. Stark