What do scholarship awards, a charity check presentation, women’s networking and some of POB’s best barbecue all have in common? The month of June! This past month was a busy one for the POB Chamber beginning with a women’s group gathering at The Main Event on the 5th followed by the chamber’s annual scholarship awards presented to three graduating seniors at POB JFK High School at awards night on June 12th. Claire Ackerman received the $1,000 Chamber Scholarship and Asher Block and Ari Kalinsky each received a $500 award in memory of longtime board member Marcia Finkelstein.
Just two days later that week, the chamber celebrated the grand opening of Plainview’s Mad For Chicken with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Owners Mike and Inna Choi were warmly welcomed by many chamber members, family, friends and public officials as they generously served a variety of the delectable dishes the restaurant offers – including their tasty signature chicken wings.
The month wrapped up with the chamber’s famous annual barbecue lunch meeting on June 21st. Member Coliseum Kitchen & Caterers provided a scrumptious barbecue lunch for the 35 plus in attendance. As always, the highlight of the meeting was the presentation of the check to the chamber’s outgoing charity partner. This year the recipient of $3,200 raised was The Sophia Valsamos Foundation. Sophia’s father, Christopher, graciously accepted the check and thanked the chamber for its efforts over the past ten months. An additional $1,000 was individually raised in 2022 by chamber board member Eric Molbegat. To learn more about the important work that the foundation is doing regarding youth mental health, visit TSVF.org.
See article and more photos in The Nassau Observer