(Front) John Feal - Fealgood Foundation Pres., Debbie Virga (Community Relations Director), Yvonne Domingo , (Back row) James T. Ryder Board Member FealGood Foundation, Commack BOE President Mary Jo Masciello and Commack HS Asst. Principal Susan ShapiroJohn Feal of Nesconset created the FealGood Foundation to bring awareness to the catastrophic health effects suffered by responders on 9/11. His organization is the force behind a memorial being constructed in Nesconset. The memorial, scheduled to be dedicated on September 10, 2011, is in memory of those whose lives were shortened after their exposure to toxins at ground zero.
In addition to raising awareness to the illnesses suffered by responders, John Feal is an advocate for peace. He is a staunch believer that “it is through young people that peace will be achieved.” John wants young people to get involved and he wants them to begin a dialog about peace. The FealGood Foundation challenged students in the Commack School District to write essays entitled “What Peace Means To Me”.
Yvonne Domingo, a 16-year old student at Commack High School, won the essay contest. Yvonne’s essay will go into “Pages For Peace”, expected to be the largest book ever created. The book will include drawings, essays, letters and articles on peace.
Yvonne’s essay closed with the following statement.“Peace to me is having differences but learning to tolerate them. It’s compromise and understanding the depth of one’s actions. It’s also having fears but learning to stand up for what you believe.”
John Feal seems to know how to get things done. Those who know him are betting that when peace does break out John Feal will have had something to do with it.
For more information about the FealGood Foundation