August 27, 2007

Alexandra Mancuso Wins Game Farm Scholarship

MANORVILLE, N.Y. — The Long Island Game Farm presented its annual scholarship – a $1000 one-time prize, granted in remembrance of the Game Farm’s founding family – to a very deserving Sayville senior last week. Alexandra Mancuso, (known simply as “Alex”) has been described by her school officials as “altruistic in her deeds” with “a depth of grace and dignity that is rarely in evidence, anywhere!.” These qualities were clear in her application; with her excellent grades and an obvious passion for the environment, Alex was a perfect semblance of what the Game Farm looks for when choosing the recipient of their scholarship.

As a child Alex’s father, a master gardener, and mother, her Girl Scouts leader, cultivated her concern for the environment. Her childhood interests and hobbies began to flourish early and progressed as she entered high school. There, Alex immersed herself in nature, opting for active roles in SWEEP (Students Working to Enhance Environmental Protection) and KIC (Keep Islip Clean). She has taken part in a number of cleanups including rivers, creeks, and beaches. In Alex’s senior year she visited the Costa Rican rain forests on a trip with her AP Environmental Science class reinforcing her desire to help care for the Earth.

Alexandra intends to continue her love for nature by pursuing her education and receiving a degree in Environmental Science. In Alexandra’s career she only hopes to continue to share her love for the environment with others and have a positive impact on the Earth.

The Stanley and Susan Novak Memorial Scholarship was established in 2004 to honor the memories of Stanley John Novak, the Game Farm’s co-founder, and his daughter Susan Mary Novak. In 1999, after nearly 30 years of building the Long Island Game Farm, Stanley Novak died from a heart attack at age 66. In 2001, his daughter Susan died from Multiple Myeloma at age 37. Both were avid animal lovers and were staunch supporters of maintaining Long Island’s environment. Each year this scholarship is offered to the island’s high school students who intend to pursue higher education, and eventually, careers, in either Veterinary Medicine or Environmental Science.

Pictured above [left-right] are Nick Macuso, Alex's father; Alex Mancuso; and Melinda Novak, Co-Owner, Long Island Game Farm.

For more information about the Long Island Game Farm and its donation program, contact (631) 878-6644 or the website at www.longislandgamefarm.com.