Signing off on groups that do good

When Sayville Village Improvement Society president Barbara Fitzpatrick took the helm last June, she ran with her mission: update the SVIS sign directories on Candee Avenue and Center Street with the names of nonprofit service groups and their contacts.

So far, Sayville has 23 groups and counting.

“SVIS is always looking for projects and we realized the signs needed attention,” she said. “When they were first erected, they were about the merchants. Sadly, a lot of them have come and gone. So we thought, now is the time to acknowledge all the not-for-profits and service organizations,” Fitzpatrick said.

Was she surprised at the number?

“Yes,” she said. “I knew there were a lot, but didn't have any idea there were this many.”

It could top at 30.

Suzanne Robilotta is the committee person for the project, Fitzpatrick said. “We have to contact the current businesses on the signs,” she added. “Suzanne is doing that.” Sayville Library’s Jonathan Pryer, head of community outreach, helped Fitzpatrick identify the service organizations; she’s been meeting with each one to find out what they do.

“We’re asking for a $25 donation to defray the costs,” she said. Signs of Long Island will create the two signs and their stanchions.

The names of the nonprofits and service groups will replace the businesses on the current signs. Some of the groups so far include: Sayville Garden Club, The Common Ground, Sayville Food Pantry, Sayville Rotary, Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis of Sayville, Sayville Masonic Lodge, Friends of the Sayville Library and Sharing A Meal.

“Sayville is the friendliest town and it’s evident by the spirit of community,” Fitzpatrick said. “The Sayville Library is the heart, and the service groups are the spirit and soul.”

The response has been a huge thumbs-up, and current businesses on their directories were on board with the change.

Fitzpatrick said contact information will be included with the names of the organizations so that people interested in volunteering can follow through. “The Candee Avenue sign will have names on both sides,” Fitzpatrick said. “The Center Street sign will have names on one side.”

The dedication ceremony for the signs is tentatively scheduled for May. “All the organizations on the signs will be invited,” Fitzpatrick said.