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Community Corner

Holiday Shopping Crawl in the Works

Sayville/West Sayville Business Council working with Chamber on December event.

An inaugural Holiday Shopping Crawl is being planning and executed on a small scale this year thanks to the work of the Sayville/West Sayville Business Council in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce.

Tentatively scheduled for Dec. 11 from 3 to 6 p.m., the event is an ideal way to keep the holiday shopping in town, while offering shoppers incentives such as gift wrapping and delivery of all purchases to a final location on the crawl.

Bill Etts, incoming president of the Sayville Chamber of Commerce, is working with the Council to organize the event.

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The Council also discussed how student volunteers are supporting the business community. Many are working on the technology side, setting up websites and Facebook accounts for the small businesses.

Sayville Superintendent Walter Schartner and Etts discussed the possibility of the Chamber of Commerce office being manned by student volunteers. They could answer phones, sell gift certificates and it would be a big boost to local merchants.

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Ray and Nancy Kruse work with the Sayville School District’s Transition Services for children with special needs. They spoke about successful employment opportunities within the community.

The class recently spent four weeks at Kmart, working on their appearance, hygiene, greeting the manager, getting the layout of the store, communication skills and other work habits. Ray Kruse said they are currently seeking other partnerships in the community so the children could branch out and learn different skills.

A Spring Celebration is also in the works, which will include face painting, showcasing of art, music and other skills by students. April 28 is the proposed date and Etts said he would present the idea to the Chamber and the Town of Islip in order to get Main Street closed. The event would be a mall-like situation for businesses, bringing many young people and their families into town.

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