Third-grader Nabs White House Honors; Arts Help Boost Economy

A third-grader from Manhasset recently received big Kudos from the White House, thanks to a recipe he developed to fight childhood obesity.

Peter Murphy, 9, a student at Shelter Rock Elementary School, recently represented New York State at a White House “State Dinner” as one of the 54 winners in the nationwide contest.  First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the July 9 dinner promoting healthy lunches.

Murphy’s winning submission? Super Rescue Soup, which was inspired by Superstorm Sandy.

Murphy was recently honored the Town of North Hempstead for his efforts.

“We are proud of you that you are doing such extraordinary things at such a young age,” Supervisor Jon Kaiman told him. “We’d also like to acknowledge the support, encouragement, and mentoring of your parents, teachers and all those around you has helped get you to this point.”

After Sandy knocked out the power for more than two weeks, Peter said his mom Jill were unable to get food supplies from the grocery store, so they went to a farm stand and picked up a variety of vegetables including green beans, zucchini and carrots.  The young chef also added barley, potatoes and onions to his recipe. That recipe ended up topping 74 others submitted by young would-be chefs from across New York State.

Peter’s White House visit featured a sample of the winning recipes and a visit to the White House Kitchen’s garden.

The Arts as An Economic Stimulator

More than 120 small business managers and community leaders attended a recent ‘The Business of Art” breakfast seminar at the Amsterdam at Harborside, a Port Washington senior life care retirement facility on Aug. 8. 

The event was designed to educate local businesses about how art can be used as both a marketing and community revitalization tool.

“The concept of this event falls directly in line with my administration’s goal of using art to stimulate the economy and engage communities,” North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman said, in a release. 

Examples of art as an economic stimulate include ArtsBuild in New Cassel which has placed permanent functional “street furniture” and lifelike sculptures in the community’s downtown area, as well as the Town’s partnership with the Great Neck Arts Center for the Gold Coast Film Festival that has brought famous filmmakers, actors and directors to the Town for special screenings of independent films.

 Hosted by the Town of North Hempstead and its Business and Tourism Development Corporation, the event was emceed by Angela Susan Anton, CEO of Anton Publications, and was produced in partnership with the Long Island Development Corporation’s (LIDC) Long Island Small Business Assistance Corporation (LISBAC) Division and the Amsterdam.