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Kevin Francis Garvey, Longtime Rockland Resident & Coast Guard Veteran Passes Away

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ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY – Kevin Francis Garvey of Wolf Lake, NY passed away peacefully on February 5, 2024. He was 86.

Kevin was born on November 21, 1937 to Irish immigrants John and Susan (McGinnity) Garvey and raised in the Bronx with his seven siblings. He graduated from St. Simon Stock High School and served with pride in the United States Coast Guard on the USCG Cutter USS-Rockaway. In 1961, he married Geraldine and together they raised their six children in South Nyack, NY. Kevin spent most of this career with the New York City Board of Education as a Custodian Engineer. He was active with Local 891 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, serving as treasurer and with the Employee Assistance Program. After retiring, Kevin earned his BA in Labor Studies from SUNY Empire College. His son, Lawrence, is the Rockland County GOP Chairman.

After moving to Wolf Lake, Kevin served on the Wolf Lake Board of Directors. He was a longtime active parishioner of St. Joseph’s Church in Wurtsboro, NY and volunteered for Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties.

Kevin was predeceased by his parents John and Susan, his brothers Thomas and Raymond and his sisters Margaret Rose (Peggy), and Ann Brigid. Also predeceasing him was his beloved son, Paul.

He is survived by his brothers Jack and Brendan (Terry); his sister Suzanne; his children Sheila (Kevin Fitzpatrick) of Upper Nyack, NY; Tara (Kevin Lapoff) of Lake Worth, FL; Kevin (Melanie) of Blauvelt, NY; Lawrence of New City, NY; Gerard (James Parent) of Rochester, NY; his devoted friend Eileen Phelan; and many nieces and nephews.

He also leaves behind his adored grandchildren Katherine (Jon Abrams), Brendan, Maura (Ahmad Al Kawabeh), Aidan, Meghan, Tara, Elizabeth, Lauren, Adam, and Adrianne along with great grandchildren Leah and Owen.

Kevin was proud of his over forty years of sobriety. He sponsored countless friends who remained devoted to him until the end. The family would like to especially thank Kevin’s Wolf Lake friends and neighbors, especially his “Wednesday night guys” who were a bright light for him in his later years.

Visitation for family and friends will be Friday, February 9, from 4:00 to 7:00pm at VanInwegen-Kenny Funeral Home, 111 Sullivan Street in Wurtsboro. His funeral mass will be held on Saturday, February 10, at 1:00 pm at St. Joseph’s Church, 180 Sullivan Street in Wurtsboro, followed by burial at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Wurtsboro.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph’s Church in Wurtsboro and Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties.

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Rockland County High School Student Creates Initiative To Help Protect The Environment And Shares It Locally And Throughout The World

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Madeline Abrams, a high school junior at Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, has created an initiative to capture rain water using discarded plastic water bottles through an irrigation system she developed for vegetable gardens, farms and landscapes.

During the past year, Madeline has presented her rain harvesting system virtually through Rotary Clubs to 45 communities in the Tri-State area, California, the Southwest and also to countries in Africa including Uganda, Namibia, Lesotho, Angola and South Africa. Through those presentations, she’s adapted her invention to the needs of the local area. Interestingly on one of the calls with a Rotary Club in Lesotho, she learned that porcupines eat plastic bottles which led to an adjustment in her plans for connecting rain barrels to hold the captured water. Her rain harvest system was published in an article in an international Rotary magazine that covers the country of Uganda.

Last month in recognition of Earth Day, Madeline gave a Zoom presentation supported by public libraries in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Hartford, Palo Alto and San Francisco making her Earth Day program available to their patrons. The attendees engaged in a discussion following the presentation regarding ways to bring Madeline’s invention to their communities. 

On a recent call with a college professor who leads service trips to El Salvador, Madeline learned that plastic water bottles are regularly burned with other garbage releasing toxic fumes in the process. Madeline’s invention helps with water conservation and also helps to reduce the negative environmental impact that can occur from burning plastic. 

Madeline’s goal is to share her rain harvest system with as many communities as possible and to help increase awareness about plastic waste, water conservation and a unique way to repurpose plastic water bottles.  

Madeline has created her Harvest Every Drop website (http://harvesteverydrop.com Madeline is an impressive young woman with a strong sense of service and a desire to make an impact in the world.

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Congratulations to Siobhan Nordland from the Jesse J. Kaplan School who is the Rockland BOCES “MOVER of the Month”

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Congratulations to Siobhan Nordland, our #RocklandBOCES Jesse J. Kaplan School “MOVER of the Month” for March. “Siobhan has made great strides in activities such as standing endurance during MOVE events, ambulating in the hallways to and from specials and participating in classroom activities in a compass chair,” says Physical Therapist Nigi Varughese. “ The use of the TRAM has allowed Siobhan to explore all areas of her education. While in the TRAM, Siobhan participates in Smartboard activities such as choosing a favorite song, participating in circle time activities and interacting with her classmates while standing. We are all so proud of Siobhan’s accomplishments in the MOVE program!”
Kaplan’s MOVE™ (Mobility Opportunities via Education) program combines therapy and education to teach children with physical disabilities and complex needs the functional skills of sitting, standing, and walking. MOVE™ aims to give children an opportunity to lead more independent and fulfilling lives. Every child deserves the right to MOVE™.
Contact the Rockland BOCES Jesse J. Kaplan School at (845) 627-4797 to learn how MOVE™ can help someone in your life.

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