Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and Councilman Terence McSweeney were recently on-hand for the renaming of a section of Lincoln Avenue in Wyandanch to “Velina Ann Marshall Way.” Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre and Monica Martinez on behalf on State Senator John Brooks were also in attendance.
Velina Ann Marshall was born in Panama and moved to the United States in the 1960’s. Not long after coming to America, she and her family settled in Wyandanch. Early on in her career, she worked at Lakeside Hospital in Copiague and then went onto several other organizations including Estee Lauder where she spent 20 years.
Marshall became heavily involved in her local church community, leading a small staff of women and many laborers, utilizing partnerships, donations, and her own money to feed the less fortunate during the thanksgiving and Christmas seasons for over 30 years. Marshall provided meals to over 120,000 individuals, including families with multiple members over the years. Her community service took place predominately in Wyandanch, but also elsewhere in Suffolk County as well as in Nassau County and New York City.
Marshall passed away in February of 2022, but her legacy of service to the community lives on as the street she called home for most of her life now bears her name. The section of Lincoln Avenue that was renamed is between Straight Path and Little East Neck Road in Wyandanch.
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