Timely present that gives back too

The clock is ticking to order the football fan in your family a very cool gift and in the process keep an important organization in operation.
The Boy Scouts of America Troop 153, the Floral Park Titans football team and the Association for Neurologically Impaired Brain Injured Children (ANIBIC) collaborated to raise funds this holiday season with a recycling program that saw old football helmets repurposed as clocks.
“The sale of these clocks will go to funding a two-week program at the end of August,” said Rachel Plakstis, an ANIBIC representative, adding that ANIBIC recently lost funding for their summer program. “We need funding to stay open for those two weeks so we can provide services for families in need.”
When the Floral Park Titans football team needed new helmets, parents raised funds to help replace the old, unsafe ones. So instead of letting the old helmets end up in a landfill, they were put to good use.
A Titans board member contacted ANIBIC and offered the helmets for donation. At the same time, Troop 153 contacted ANIBIC about projects for their Eagle Scouts.
“Everything just happened simultaneously,” said Plakstis, whose son Gavin plays for the Titans. “The Boy Scouts provided the manpower we needed to pull this off.”
Maryann McCann, a troop leader with the Scouts and a bookkeeper at ANIBIC, called this collaboration the perfect opportunity for the Boy Scouts to demonstrate how their relationship with the community is mutually beneficial.
“Our Eagle Scout projects all involve building leadership skills,” said McCann. “This project gives the Scouts an opportunity to serve the community by helping others who are less fortunate than them.”
The helmet clocks were designed by Paul Pokalsky of ANIBIC and Troop 153 worked hard after school to clean and reassemble the helmets. The helmets were then sanded, repainted and the clock components were installed.
“The collaboration is a fine example of upcycling at its best,” said Plakstis. “What would have been trash can now make a wonderful accent in the room of any football fan and will certainly bring the current of former Floral Park Titans player back to the gridiron.”
In return for a $75 donation to ANIBIC, those interested can choose either a plain clock helmet or one with the Titans logo. Helmets can be ordered at www.anibic.org or over the phone by calling 718-423-9550. Order by December 18 to receive by Christmas.
ANIBIC is a nonprofit organization in Oakland Gardens that provides services to people with special needs. They serve children as young as five and throughout adulthood with integration and inclusion in the community.