Community Corner

Commack Parents Honor Daughter's Memory with Library Addition

The Shana Kay Memorial Reading Area will be added to the Commack branch of the Smithtown Library.

Commack residents Randy and Jane Kay are turning their family’s tragedy into something positive for the community.

The family recently attended a Library Board Meeting to make a presentation and to receive approval for the construction of the Shana Kay Memorial Reading Area outside the Commack Branch of The Smithtown Library.

The Kay’s daughter, Shana, was attending the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she was pursuing a degree in speech pathology, when tragically July 3, 2005. She died as a result of encephalitis, a virus that causes inflammation of the brain. 

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The Shana Kay Memorial Foundation will underwrite the entire project.  

The Foundation is an organization dedicated to keeping Shana’s legacy alive while giving back to the community, the Kay family said. 

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The area will consist of a brick walkway with benches and tables, landscaping and lighting.  Residents who use the Commack Branch of The Smithtown Library will be able to visit the area to read a book, use their iPads and cell phones or to simply relax and reflect. It’s location at the library will allow residents the opportunity to checkout books and in favorable weather, read them outside in a very peaceful setting.

Following their presentation, the Library Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Kay’s proposal.  Work on the reading area will begin very soon and should be completed by mid-summer. 

Donations to The Shana Kay Memorial Foundation can be sent to:

The Shana Kay Memorial Foundation

c/o Jeff Spiegel

119 Paddington Circle

Smithtown, NY  11787  

*Article contributed by The Smithtown Public Library.


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