Councilman James Oddo, left, helps unveil a new bronze plaque for Engine Co. 161 of South Beach, with RoseAnn and Joe McAllister, Heads of the South Beach Civic Association.
SI Advance photo | Anthony DePrimo

PLAQUE IS PROOF OF COMMUNITY'S POWER
By Diane Lore | Staten Island Advance | October 07, 2009

Members of the South Beach Civic Association and community residents turned out nearly 100 strong Tuesday morning for the unveiling of a plaque on the facade of Engine Co. 161 in South Beach to commemorate the successful grass-roots battle by the community to keep the firehouse from closing due to city budget cuts. read more 

LIVING IN SOUTH BEACH, STATEN ISLAND:
WHY ASK FOR THE MOON? THEY’VE GOT THE BEACH
By Joseph Plambeck

| July 26, 2009 | New York Times

South Beach, with its easy access to the Verrazano- Narrows Bridge, is a convenient hideaway in the big city. The South Beach neighborhood of Staten Island may lack the glamour and bravado of its famous namesake in Florida, but in both places, it is safe to see the beach as the primary attraction. read more

HELPING OTHERS COMES FULL CIRCLE
By Kiawana Rich | Staten Island Advance | February 24, 2008

Giving can be fun. That's the idea behind a brand-new group started by Oakwood resident Evelyn Kormanik. The Giving Circle is strictly that, a circle of people interested in helping others. "It's actually a combination of a kind of humanistic and altruistic gathering," said Ms. Kormanik, 60, a retired word processor and stenographer. "We combine it with a social gathering and so it's really an easy way, in my view, of trying to help and do a small bit for charities."

The Giving Circle meets about once a month. Members are asked to donate a small amount of money at the beginning of the meeting and put their name in hat. The group then becomes a business/social gathering, where people can network, brainstorm over ideas, address issues and problems. Or simply meet other people. At the end of the meeting, a member's name is picked and that person gets to choose which organization, food pantry, shelter, group or cause the collected bounty will go to.

And, of course, every gathering features food. "There's really no downside, you get to eat and help somebody," she said. Ms. Kormanik said she got the idea after reading about a similar organization in a women's magazine a few months ago. She was inspired to create this one as part of her New Year's resolution. This is not her first foray into charitable giving: She's done work with orphanages in Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and helped to found a school for children in Haiti. Ms. Kormanik said while she believes her group is the first such here, she hopes the idea catches fire, eliciting the creation of similar groups throughout the Island and beyond.

She's hoping the idea will inspire young people to give; she envisions groups of them meeting, collecting money and then socializing all with a good cause in mind. "It's something that can snowball and really be very helpful," Ms. Kormanik said.

While her group is primarily women ranging from young mothers to women her age, groups can be mixed in age and gender. Members donations can also include food, supplies and other goodies. The causes, she said, can vary to donations to food pantries and soup kitchen to even helping a child get a scholarship for school or funding into an athletic program or even provisions for a men's shelter; the opportunities are endless.

For more information or to join the group, the public can contact Ms. Kormanik at oevelyno@aol.com