Two Roslyn Heights residents were named to the 23rd annual May Newburger Women’s Roll of Honor on March 16 at the Clubhouse at Harbor Links in Port Washington.
Lauren Furst and Heather Schwartz were both given the award for their work in the Roslyn community.
Furst is a financial planner who helps individuals and families in the community reach their financial goals, a job which she said she loves.
“A lot of my professional work has been around finance advising people in the community about their money and retirement,” Furst said.
A lifelong member of Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Furst has served the congregation at its Shelter Rock location in many leadership positions, including chairing the Investment Committee, founding its Socially Responsible Investing Committee, and serving as trustee, treasurer and president.
She was a kindergarten teacher in the religious education program for 11 years.
Until recently, Lauren served also served as treasurer and executive vice president of Sustainable Long Island, with involvement in projects like the revitalization of New Cassel, the building of the Yes We Can Community Center and the Vision Plan for the Port Washington peninsula.
“We would bring together all these groups to discuss these projects and that was a challenge for us,” Furst said.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Furst said the organization organized different community groups and factions to repair the boardwalk in Long Beach.
“You might think meetings are easy but it was tough to get everyone on one board,” Furst said.
The repairs of the boardwalk was integral in revitalizing the businesses on the boardwalk in Long Beach, Furst said.
Although she doesn’t currently occupy a leadership position at the organization, she said she still serves on different committees and task force.
Furst grew up in Roslyn Heights and graduated from the Wheatley School.
She moved back to Roslyn to raise her family and still lives there with her husband, Peter Koos.
Schwartz, well known in Roslyn for her work advocating for the opening of the Roslyn Country Club to residents.
She currently serves as the Interim president for the Roslyn Country Club Civic Association.
Schwartz has led the fight to reopen the country club at the heart of the neighborhood since the litigation that was initiated in 2006.
Schwartz, a stay-at-home mother at the time, said the community was giving a lot to her and thought of a way to give back
“We ask our children to participate in the community but we don’t ask ourselves what we do our own communities,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz has two children — an 18-year-old freshman at Duke University and a 14 year old at the Wheatley School.
“I have been a stay home mom and I felt it was important to make a difference,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said since the Roslyn Country Club closed, the community has gone through a change.
“There are many people who live in the neighborhood right now who don’t know what it’s like to have the club as the center of the community,” Schwartz said. “They don’t know what it’s like to have a place to take the kids to relax or the seniors to meet up. It was something used by everyone.”
