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It was excellent. Where else do you get to receive expert pointers, and then pitch whatever you’ve got to eight journalists who truly care to give constructive feedback and help folks understand how best to reach them?
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Where Creative Expression Transforms Lives. For Everyone.
On the homepage of Spirit of Huntington’s website they describe themselves as “a nonprofit organization that ignites the passion of students of all ages and abilities for creative expression that transforms lives.” A perfect summarization of this wonderful organization.
Please note the emphasis on ALL abilities. The community centers are open to everyone, to the benefit of all involved. They see it every day, and delight at how deep and broad it’s all become.
It all started with a guy name Erich, a gifted multi media artist who happens to be on the Autism Spectrum. Erich imagined a space where folks like him could thrive. He then established deep partnerships with some amazing people who worked with him to manifest his dream.
You might remember where it all began, even if you didn’t really know what it was; an old gas station transformed into public art, where a bigger than life George Washington and his men overlooked the corner of East Main Street and Park Ave. Another mural there featured a beloved local veteran and camera shop owner in uniform at the Memorial Day Parade. There were more.
That was the first home of the Spirit of Huntington, a remarkable landmark that housed an even more extraordinary initiative. It was sad when that building came down, but amazing what they were able to build after. The space they’ve occupied for the last decade now is phenomenal.
It doesn’t stop there. The Spirit of Huntington has grown in scope dramatically since opening. “Rise in Spirit” is a remarkable partnership with Rise Life Services and North Shore Dance that lives under their roof. The organization also provides key marketing and education services to other organizations, such as guiding a rebrand, helping establish a multi-discipline arts center in Northport and otherwise helping enrich programming for the People’s Arc of Suffolk.
Now, they are in the process of opening up a new Spirit of Huntington center in Queens.
Executive Director Michael Kitakis is excited how, from one person’s vision, this has now transformed into communities. It’s amazing to witness, and incredibly enriching to all involved. As far as he can see, it’s also key to a successful future.
Said Michael, “I’m excited about the opportunity of building more CBO’s community Based organizations to serve not just our neurodiverse population but the whole neighborhood and all of its constituents. One big family that realizes that creative expression transforms lives!”
The Spirit of Huntington headquarters occupies the old library building on Melville Road in South Huntington. Erich’s studio overlooks the main art space. There, you may often find him and his dog, Ollie, working as they preside over a multi-media creative learning center that serves folks of all abilities. In addition to the main studio space, there are rooms dedicated to music and multimedia recording. Diverse community partnerships help them make all sorts of other dreams a reality.
Some programs combine these elements. There are explorations of famous artists and their challenges. Digital media and other classes offer diverse opportunities to gain skills required to succeed in art and other aspects of life. Check out their YouTube channel, Spirit Studios created by and for program participants, where they share a lot about their programming, including a new podcast produced in collaboration with neighbors at the People’s Arc of Suffolk.
Says the website, “Our program empowers students by tapping into their natural creative abilities and encouraging them to create their own masterpieces and channel their emotions and feelings through the arts.” They also say “Participants channel their passion and learn to practice both the hard and soft skills needed to get by in today’s world of technology.”
Most fundamentally, they say, “Our Center is built on a foundation of love that fosters problem solving and free expression that can help nurture students of all ages in our structured, safe environment.”
It shows!
The ArtAbility Tour promotes inclusion and diversity in the arts by displaying the talent of more than 50 folks who live with various physical and intellectual impairments. As they put it, “Our exhibitions make each and every student feel acknowledged, appreciated, and celebrated.”
It’s a way students can show their appreciation as well, proceeds for related art sales go directly back into class funding.
The works are beautiful and thought provoking. If you explore them with the teachers, they will share remarkable stories about their creations and the enrichment they received experiencing their students’ unique perspectives and approaches. Sometimes it’s clear on the canvas. Other times you need a little back story.
It’s beautiful and profound.
Check out their website and social media to learn much more about Spirit of Huntington and its work with partners Island-wide and beyond. We are really excited to learn about the extent of their partnerships. The whole philosophy is about building community, and bringing their special expertise to serve folks of all Abilities.
If you want to get involved, they are actively seeking instructors.
As you might imagine, they welcome all the support they can get. Cash donations are always helpful! They can also use art supplies, camera equipment, computers, as well as folks willing to open their doors to new opportunities. Learn more about how you might support the organization and its activities here.
They can give you all sorts of details regarding their impact. We’d also suggest you talk to some of the participating teachers and families. It’s inspiring!
July is Disability Pride Month. You can read all about it here on the website of The People’s ARC of Suffolk. Its purpose is to “celebrate disability identity and community, mark the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and push for full inclusion in everyday life. The 2026 theme is ‘The World Works Better With Us.’”
ARC has been advancing the dignity and potential of folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 75 years, making it the largest and one of the oldest organizations of its kind. It started in 1949 when “a two-line classified ad in the New York Post ignited the spark that brought together a small group of parents. What began as a modest response soon evolved into a powerful movement, fueled by word of mouth and compelling news coverage. Within a year, this heartfelt call united hundreds of determined parents.”
You can read more here, on the founding chapter’s website, including a timeline of accomplishments and a far more detailed scholarly review.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has its own storied history, climaxing at a poignant moment on March 12, 1990 in Washington DC. There, a group of 1000 disabled activists had come to protest the “crawling pace” of stalled legislation by eschewing their wheelchairs and climbing the Capitol Stairs.
Among them was Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a girl with Cerebral Palsy who had been among demonstrators since she was six and already arrested for doing so by 7. In between, she’d experienced the indignity of being refused restaurant service because the establishment felt clientele would find their eating distasteful.
Although discouraged by others in the advocacy world, because they feared she would elicit pity rather than a sense of empowerment, 8-year old Jennifer determined that she was going to have her generation represented and insisted upon making the climb.
While we can never be entirely sure what moves a nation, the act received meaningful coverage, and seemed to make a profound impact. Four months later, President George H. W. Bush signed the ADA into law, revolutionizing nearly every aspect of life for folks with disabilities.
You can read more about Jennifer here. There’s a children’s book and a statue. Folks hope that work of art someday gets to visit Long Island. Even moreso, they hope we’ll not take these advances for granted, and recognize that when we serve folks with different abilities, we’re serving everyone.
You can check out the national organization here. There are now 549 chapters covering 42 states. On Long Island, the organization has had a rich history with chapters in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
In addition to passionate advocacy, the key objective is to maximize individuals’ independence at home and in the community through varied services and programs. They’ve changed a lot over the years, both internally and externally as they’ve championed progress and learned better themselves, All the while, they’ve maintained the spirit of love and community among folks of all abilities that brought them together in the first place.
Along with its well-established array of services, including employment opportunities, education programs, and community engagement, the newly renamed “People’s Arc of Suffolk” is “expanding the creative outlets available to people of all abilities.”
Among its recent highlights, we were delighted to see folks of the Spirit of Huntington collaborate with the Suffolk Chapter to assist the rebranding to better reflect the modern organization, and to establish with them a new ARC Performing Arts Center in Northport. There, folks may explore theater, music, dance, visual art and video production. This includes a new podcast called “The People’s Artist.”
There are now eight Suffolk locations in total, including an art community in Westhampton Beach, a vocational community in Bohemia and a nature and horticulture community in West Sayville. Spirit of Huntington is excited to be so closely involved, especially in Northport, bringing their rich experience in the arts to serve the venerable organization.
To Spirit of Huntington Executive Director, Michael Kitakis, it’s all about community, and folks finding their strengths and sharing them. “The concept that we’re recognizing is that we can’t do everything ourselves. Why would we? Spirit of Huntington has been focused on the arts and their application for 15 years. We are delighted to bring this expertise to The People’s Arc of Suffolk.”
Visit the website, learn more, and get involved!
If you’d like to consider a career with The People’s Arc, you may explore opportunities here.
It’s kind of remarkable how exciting this latest move is for John’s Crazy Socks, given the incredible success they’ve already experienced. The father & son enterprise has served the world for a full decade now. Dedicated to proving what’s possible…
Continue readingClick here for the latest edition of Firefly Lights, all about our beautiful downtown gallery of local art and artists. In this edition, please find:
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In a time where buying something new often comes before fixing what we have, The Repair Cafe is a great place to get advice, offer your expertise, and be inspired! There are no guarantees, but a promise to try. Many find the experience itself worth the effort. Folks involved are excited to announce that the next ones will be held:
Are you handy with machines? Electronics? Even a needle & thread?
Would you share this knowledge with the community? Help keep folks from throwing good things into landfills? Maybe just help folks save a few dollars? Come with your kids and teach them, come to teach others, or just come to learn and make new friends?
We imagine The Repair Café would be an EXCELLENT service project for Scouts, and really anyone who wants to promote the fine art of giving things a second chance at life. Help make the world little thriftier and more self-reliant.
The best way to get in touch is through the Repair Cafe Long Island Facebook Page. You may also contact Laurie at starflexp@aol.com to learn more!!!
Get involved in The Repair Café!
You don’t have to be mechanical. Everybody can teach or help with something.
Said Laurie: “The more volunteers, the faster folks can get things repaired. People need to be able to bring their own tools. We get a lot of TVs and lamps and small electronics. We also could use people who are good with furniture, clothing/textiles (with sewing machine), more people for jewelry, anyone for watches and clocks, and other miscellaneous things (last time we had an ironing board, bicycle, a small statue that needed to be glued back together…).
We could also make space for a mental health person who would take time to listen to folks who just have a need to talk, or anyone who can do massage (sure, we can ‘fix’ people, too!).
Anyone who’d like to do some small DIY demos like how to sew on a button, darn a sock, rewire a lamp… Join us!
Check out The Repair Café Long Island on Facebook. Just scroll through the images there and look at these folks helping each other and learning so much together. Oh my goodness!
August 15 – Bayshore Brightwaters Library 11:00 – 3:00
September 19 – Shelter Rock Library 1:00 – 4:00
November 7 – Copiague Public Library 11:30 – 3:30
February 27, 2027 – Harborfields Public Library 1:00 – 4:00
March 13, 2027 – South Huntington Public Library 1:00 – 4:00
Photos of Repair Cafe’s across Long Island. Photo Credit: Laurie Farber.
The Tesla Science Center has much to celebrate! This July, they will host an expo celebrating the extraordinary scientist’s 170th birthday and the Grand Opening of the Sayan Center — the first public building to open on Wardenclyffe site!
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Liz is excited to announce that the next event is on the calendar!Join us on Friday, July 24th, for an evening of storytelling centered around one powerful theme: SIGNS.
The Subtle Signs: Gentle hints we ignored until they got too big to miss.
Messages from Beyond: Comforting signs from loved ones who have passed on.
Signs of Alignment: That sudden sense of peace telling you you’re exactly where you need to be.
The Wake-Up Calls: Signs that wake you up and lead you to a completely different path in life.
We are not alone: A Great American Road Trip
The Road Trip, to most Americans, is indivisible from the search for one’s identity. The long highways expose you to conditions you’d never experience in the comfort of your home town. A broken down car miles from nowhere forces you to confront the person you are. The whole trip lays bare each relationship within the vehicle, having to confront their problems with nowhere to run. It reveals to you the nation as it is, no silver screen, no classroom lesson, no political propaganda to hide who we are and the consequences of our actions.
As I rolled through the ribbon of highway, it was far stranger than I’d expected. A sense of normalcy that separated us from the foreign was stripped from me. That sense of identity was replaced with a reality steeped in diversity. Nebraska was foreign, as foreign as Brazil. They put liquid sugar in their coffee. They spoke in a thick accent unlike my own. In Mississippi, they chose to drive 20mph on an empty 3 lane road. In Texas, the cowboy hats and boots were real, and in Louisiana, in the South, sits the most culturally distinct city in the country. Despite the warnings that a New York plate would be a target on my back, everywhere the story was the same: “My brother lives in New York,” “my parents were from there,” “my daughter goes to Columbia.” Old men at gas stations told me they were raised around Syracuse. As far as I went; 2, 3, 5 days from home, I was never alone.
I once heard that the greatest miracle of this nation was convincing the man in Seattle that the man in Miami is his brother. On the other side, where I was told there would be coastal dwellers such as myself, I had never been further from home. There was more grease in In&Out than substance. You could mark class disparity by the color of grass. L.A. was a city made of plastic, and San Diego was like something out of Pet Sounds. It was strange. It wasn’t my home. There were shelves of creamer in every flavor, but if I asked for it black, they didn’t understand.
I didn’t really get it until about a week ago, when the Knicks did the impossible. As I looked out into the crowds of my own people, I realized there were no set people, but rather millions of faces, each different from the last, each talking to one another, shoulder to shoulder, steeping in shared victory.
I realized the thing that made us so American was how proudly individual we all were. That the sea of New Yorkers was a sea of diversity. That the only nation I believed in was one made up of millions of distinct characters who reveled in the fact that they were different from their neighbors. I realized this was the beautiful thing we shared: A nation that truly believed in the freedom to be one’s self and to do as one pleased; the notion that one must seize a life built upon realizing wishes one believes are truly worth fulfilling.
I truly believe it, that this land from sea to shining sea belongs to me just as much as a man I share nothing with. Not religion, not character, not color, not background, not one’s mother’s home. That to have adopted this place, and become a part of it is enough. That this land was made for you and me
The View from Mulholland Drive….
It is hard to find diction when reflecting upon the visual majesty across our country. Here I sit on Long Island. My favorite sight in the world is its rocky north shore beaches. I love it. I can see those beaches every day and if time permits I most certainly will.
Here, the words flow freely into my brain. The moving tides create different experiences, and though guessable, hold surprises for those who let them. My brain latches onto the first day the beach appears ready for visitors after a long winter. The slight fear but large excitement a child has when jellyfish go by. The desolate peace in winter and the invigorating population in summer. I love writing my name in the sand. For a small moment the beach knows my presence. The world will discard my writing in a short time and eventually the beach will exist past my hour, but for a moment I’m etched into sand.
Reaching out into our glorious nation, every mile comes with real wonder but the memory is more dreamy. I’ve only realized these places for short minutes, but those minutes last in my brain longer than any particular moment in places near home. The dreaminess is what bothers me. It’s all kind of vague. Who knows if what I remember is exactly what I saw? On Long Island, I can stop by again and check. 3,000 miles away? The dreams will have to suffice.
Getting a little deeper, I have no connection to these locations. Does that lack of connection beyond a ride-through mean I see the geography and architecture for what it is free of other memories’ clouds? Or do those clouds I possess on Long Island help paint the picture of what a place really is? I can never look at a bar near Binghamton University and only see the bricks. In California the bricks are my only grasp…
Either way here’s what I remember:
The first time I drove we notably rode through Washington, St. Louis, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona & California. In Washington, our American philosophy and common knowledge overwhelm. Lincoln, Jefferson, and every other monument feel like a literalization of characteristically American thoughts. The books-worth of America I’ve gone through, both myth and philosophy, are all standing in front of me.
Those unique thoughts somehow made their way down to Mississippi, the most off-putting of our voyages. Large houses with big windows, mountains of sausage and men crowded around a TV watching football games between schools I’ve never considered. These people, despite their different heritage, are as American as you and I. The same flag on buildings, the same wars taught in schools.
In St. Louis, the Jazz musicians, the brick buildings and the famous arch in front of Busch Stadium left a lasting effect. What a beautiful city. I’ll never forget the children joining in, playing their instruments with grown men towering over them. The Gateway Arch, a structure I painted at Berry Hill Elementary, stands next to a stadium where the World Series has been won and lost, and ball players bound for Cooperstown started their careers. Here’s where we crossed the Mississippi, something I probably would have noted if the Arch’s beauty didn’t take center stage.
I remember driving into Texas. There was seemingly nothing for miles, then blinking red lights all round us. I never learned the flashing warm red’s purpose, but it felt like a close encounter of the third kind. The mountains in New Mexico change color from white to red to brown, unreal to someone from an Island out east. Arizona was more desolate. Staring into the desert, I felt as if only isolation and desperation could lie ahead.
Then there’s California. Seemingly the whole world is present in California. Staring down from Mulholland Dr. or moving through the hills as you head north, it’s hard to argue everybody shouldn’t be here. Standing in one of California’s cities one feels the diversity of those who came north, south, east or west in search of the American Dream. Crazy to think it was large Mexican ranches a short few centuries ago, then a city where Casablanca was filmed almost a single century ago.
Heading back east, I understood how some may have become convinced Utah was their holy land. The canyons and mountains can’t be anything but divine intervention. Sheer survival must have felt like a gift from God.
I’ve seen more of this great nation than most, but still have entire regions to check off the list. I said I have no connection to these places, and yet in truth, they are all a part of home. Some of what I remember is true, other parts maybe not, but what I really know is this: We are lucky to reside in this incredible country, built upon enlightenment notions and audacious dreams. I love its history of ardent realization, as much as its bright cities and expansive vistas. None of it’s perfect, and yet it’s extraordinary. Even when you’re on one route, the journey is rarely a straight line and you’ve got to keep your eyes and mind open to stay alive.
On the road and in my heart, I keep faith our Nation’s infrastructure will sustain me and its uniting principles will endure. I commit to doing my part to uphold them. It’s the closest thing to a religion I have.
May God Bless America.
