Rocky Point Lions Club

Honoring

Commander Joseph Cognitore For the Benefit of

A “Lion’s” Taste

of Long Island

Veterans of Foreign Wars, Rocky Point Post #6249

To benefit returning veterans in need

and the

Rocky Point Lions Club

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 6:30 to 9:30 pm

East Wind Inn and Spa

Program

6:30 pm Doors Open

8:30 pm Presentation to

Commander Joseph Cognitore

Thank you Sponsor & Participants

9:30 pm Event Ends—Good Night

and Please Drive Safely

Our honoree this year is Joe Cognatore, of Fischer/Hewins VFW Post #6249 in Rocky Point. Under Joe’s guidance the accomplishments of the Post are significant. Joe was born in Brooklyn and graduated from Farmingdale High School where he excelled in football and track. He wanted to be a high school physical education teacher and graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University. Upon graduation he was drafted into the Army. He served his two years in the Army as a sergeant in Viet Nam. After the Army he tried to get a full time teaching position. He did some substitute teaching in Longwood and Farmingdale but there were no full time positions to be had. He took full time employment with Coca Cola Bottling in Suffolk County where he worked for 38 years attaining the position of Branch Manager. Joe joined the VFW in Farmingdale in 1973 when his father was the Chaplain and his uncle was Commander. Joe says he was inactive until 1991 when he entered the Rocky Point Post. To say he has been active since that fateful day is a major understatement. Joe assumed the position of Commander in 1994. He views the VFW as his “home away from home … a real fraternity of volunteers”. The Post has 160 members with about 30 active. Under his leadership the Post accomplishes a lot of important and far reaching work targeting veterans, people in the military, love of country and citizenship. Members of the Post go to schools in Miller Place, Rocky Point and Shoreham-Wading River each year in the fall to talk about the importance of honoring those who have served our country.

In 1992 the Post purchased yellow ribbons to sell to raise money to pay for shipping items that were wanted and needed by servicemen and women. The Post members made up lists of items they had wanted when they were serving in active duty and used that as the starting point for shopping. Operation Veronica now gets together each week to put together packages for service men and women and the VFW contributes to the cost of shipping these packages to help this worthy cause. There are numerous other projects under Joe’s guidance; however the project that got our recent attention started in 2010. Then Assemblyman Mark Alesi contacted Joe and the Commander of the Riverhead VFW to join with the Long Island Home Builders Cares Development Corp. to aid returning Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who needed affordable housing. They worked together to get property and permits approved and houses built. As a result of the generous donation by Mark Baisch, who donated the land, the first home was completed in 2011 in Sound Beach. Mark has continued his efforts through Long Island Home Builders Cares Development Corp. resulting in a house in Lake Ronkonkoma and most recently, with property donated by Computer Associates, six homes in Islandia.

2014 Participating Restaurants

Oceans 5 Seafood Shoreham

Don Quijote Restaurant Miller Place

Fusilli Miller Place

Miller Place Pasteria Miller Place

Starbucks Miller Place

Tuscany Gourmet Market Miller Place

Land and Sea Miller Place

Desmond’s Wading River

Sea Basin Rocky Point

Greek Island Diner Wading River

Red Mango Miller Place

Bayview Inn and Restaurant Jamesport

Farm Country Kitchen Riverhead

Caruso’s Rocky Point

Town & Country Market Miller Place

Sweets & Scoops Shoreham

2014 Vineyards and Breweries

Roanoke

Lenz

Osprey Dominion

Coffee Pot Cellars

Long Island Brewery

Members of the Rocky Point Lions Club 2014

Anita Nigrel Maureen Schneider

Bob Patrovic Nicholas DeSimone

Bryan McCutcheon Nicholas Felix

Carol Genua Ralph G. Ferrara

Christopher Reino Risa Kluger

Cindy Berner Rob Fitton

Dr. Dan Birkmire Robert Scharback

Dr. Jeffrey Kraushaar Robert Spice

Dr. Thomas Ianniello Ron Mihalik

Greg Goodman Serina Allan

Jack Kratina Sue Gawlik

John Stevens Theresa Brogden

Louis J. Gallo, Jr Wendy Stapon

Martin Tollin William Coughlin

William H. Johnson

Congratulations Joe

and the

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Post #6249

Mark Baisch

Landmark Properties

Congratulations Joe Cognitore

East Wind Inn & Spa

5720 Route 25A * Wading River, NY 11792

(631) 929-3500 www.eastwindlongisland.com

1001 Route 25A Miller Place, NY (631) 744-1001

4839 Nesconset Highway Port Jefferson Sta., NY

(631) 473-0360

2326 Middle Country Rd. Centereach, NY (631) 585-8888

Joseph R. Kessel, Jr.

50-F Rocky Point-Yaphank Road, Rocky Point, NY 11778

(631) 744-0066 Nite (631) 938-0101 Fax (631) 821-8886

Cullen & Danowski is your full-service professional resource. We provide accounting, auditing, financial consulting, tax preparation, IT and bookkeeping services. Whatever your needs are, Cullen & Danowski will provide the skill and professional attention you require

Cullen & Danowski, LLP Certified Public Accountants 1650 Route 112 Port Jefferson Station, NY 11776 (631) 473-3400

Present and Accountable

Municipalities—Not-for-Profits—Corporations—Individuals

Like it never even happened

Servpro of Port Jefferson/Stony Brook 501 Middle Country Road Coram, NY 11727 (631) 476-5300

Risa Kluger

Coram Materials Corp.

416 Miller Place Yaphank Road P.O. Box 5810 Miller Place, NY 11764-1217

Phone: 631-924-5703 ext 9 Fax: 631-924-8353 E-mail: CM5810@aol.com

Lorraine Vigliarolo

Congratulations Joe.

Thank you for all you do in the Rocky Point Community.

Daniel P. Losquadro, Brookhaven Town Superintendent of Highways

Congratulations Joe …

Bruce and Anna Acker

Congratulations to Joe Cognitore And the V.F.W. Rocky Point Post

For your commitment To the veterans of

our community!

A1 Automotive

Congratulations and Best Wishes To our friend and

Associate

Joseph Cognitore For all you do for our veterans!

Louis J. Gallo, Jr. Lou Gallo Expediting, Inc.

Proud sponsor of

A “Lions” Taste of Long Island

M&T Plumbing & Heating

22 New York Avenue

Port Jefferson Station

NY 11776

(631) 473-8735

Thank you to Joe Cognitore

and our Veterans!

For your service

to our Country

The Community Journal Bernadette Budd Smith

The members of the

Rocky Point Lions Club Wish to salute our Veterans

for giving us our freedom to make this day possible and for defending our country against all enemies

both foreign and domestic.

A message from the Rocky Point Lions

“We Serve” is the Lions motto and the Lions Club of Rocky Point will continue with that key objective. While doing so we will continue our past performances that have made our organization recognized for community service since 1955 and we will continue to initiate new opportunities to enhance our community commitment. As always we will be serving the communities of Mt. Sinai, Miller Place, Sound Beach, Rocky Point, Shoreham and Wading River in whatever capacity we can. In the past this has included medical equipment and services to hospitals, eye sight care, financial and medical assistance to local families in need, sponsorship of many community programs and a Scholarship Foundation that will this year have awarded over $200,000 since its inception in 1990. This scholarship money has gone to deserving graduating students from our four local high schools to assist them with college tuition.

The money and goods we need to support the needs of our communities are raised through the diligent efforts of the Rocky Point Lions Club members. Fund raisers such as the Lion’s Taste of Long Island, pancake breakfast, and the annual community solicitation have all contributed to the financial stability of our organization. In turn the local communities have benefited from these endeavors. We ask that you help us in continuing with our programs by supporting the local businesses and professionals listed in this journal as well as the various fundraising activities the Rocky Point Lions Club sponsors in the days and years to come.

And … please follow us on Facebook so you can be aware of the activities of our club and in the hopes that you will consider joining with us in serving your communities.

Yours in Lionism,

Dr. Jeffrey Kraushaar

(631) 821-2244 2012-2014 Membership Chair