J 338: Honoring Elise May upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by HEARTS Port Washington on February 7, 2025

 Senate Resolution No. 338 BY: Senator MARTINS HONORING Elise May upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by HEARTS Port Washington on February 7, 2025 WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the best interests of their communities are assets beyond remuneration and cannot be sufficiently extolled; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Elise May, upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by HEARTS Port Washington, to be recognized at its Annual Red Party at the Polish American Hall in Port Washington, New York, on Friday, February 7, 2025; and WHEREAS, HEARTS (Helping Enrich the Arts of Port Washington) is an independent, grassroots not-for-profit 501(c)3 community organization whose mission is to add meaningful value to children's lives and our community by supporting, promoting, and enriching the arts in Port Washington and its public schools; and WHEREAS, Since its founding in 2011, HEARTS has funded more than 180 grants district-wide, as well as scholarships for art and music students for college; the non-profit also provides interactive high-quality programming in theater, music, fine arts, creative writing, dance, and much more; and WHEREAS, HEARTS has created PortFest, a community art and music festival celebrating arts in Port Washington, as well as Curtains Up, an after-school musical theater program for elementary school students; and WHEREAS, The organization also created Dancing Classrooms, which is a partnership with the Creative Arts Department, HSA/PTAs, The Ed. Foundation, and the Port Washington Summer Music Program; and WHEREAS, Elise May, a former HEARTS Board Member, is an independent Teaching Artist/Arts Administrator, educator, actor, singer, and writer who has performed and taught domestically and internationally; she works with actors, school districts, libraries, and corporations on communication skills, community development, and the development of educational programs, using theater arts for vocal empowerment; and WHEREAS, Focusing on inclusion, Elise May has developed her local, state, and national award-winning programs, Storytime Theater, Expressive Elocution, Multicultural Voices, and Creative Readers; she is President of the Board of Stage the Change: The Arts as a Social Voice, a Steering Committee Member of the Arts for All Abilities Consortium in New York City, and an Advisory Board Member for Books for Dessert, a literacy program for adults with disabilities; and WHEREAS, Elise May has been a contributing writer for many professional arts journals and a contributing author of "In It Together--How Student, Family, and Community Partnerships Advance Engagement and Achievement in Diverse Classrooms"; and WHEREAS, Elise May has presented at the International Teaching Artist Conference, Arts for All Abilities Consortium, Kennedy Center PD for Art and Music Teachers, East End ENL/Bilingual Teachers Academy, Annual Conference of the Bermuda Union of Teachers, Huntington Arts Council PD and JOURNEYS, and NYSTEA Educator and Student Conferences; and WHEREAS, Additionally, Elise May is part of devising the creative and performance team of Branching Out, an original sensory immersive show for audiences on the autism spectrum, at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Program Director for Theater for Dessert, a theater program for adults with intellectual disabilities; and WHEREAS, Elise May also co-produces and performs yearly in Landmark Radio Theater, a 1950s-style live radio show at Landmark on Main Street; she is extremely grateful to HEARTS for this honor and its support of programs which she co-created (Master Class, Senior Sing-A-Long, Landmark Radio Theater, and Theater for Dessert) as well as her school-based programs; and WHEREAS, Throughout the years of her community service, a period of constructive involvement, Elise May has stood constant in dignity and good grace; and WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by individuals for the benefit of others which Elise May has displayed throughout her life; and WHEREAS, It has always been the objective of this Legislative Body to honor and support those individuals who have displayed their commitment to the betterment of their communities, and it is the intent of this Legislative Body to inscribe upon its records this tribute to Elise May, that future generations may know and appreciate her admirable character, her many benevolent deeds, and the respect and esteem in which she is held by her peers; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Elise May upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition by HEARTS Port Washington on February 7, 2025; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to Elise May.