OnSI Podcast

Ten Staten Islanders have been honored this year as Local Heroes of the Month in a recurring series that offers a special look at how our neighbors are making a difference in the borough every single day; how we and our sponsors celebrate community voices who personify what it means to be truly altruistic.

In July 2022, the Staten Island Cricket Club marked its 150th anniversary. Established in 1872, the club is the oldest continuously operating cricket club in the country, according to its current president. Also this month, we introduce you to our Local Hero of the Month. This former St. Peter’s High School basketball star earned a spot in the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii using his mother’s battle with cancer as inspiration to bring awareness to the disease and motivate others to preserve in the face of adversity. Plus, a look back at a Pleasant Plains resident who retired from the FDNY in September 2021 after nearly four decades of dedicated service, but her retirement didn’t last long. She rejoined the workforce through a new Department of Aging program, which celebrates the skills, knowledge, and expertise retirees acquired while working for the city.

The free, borough-wide outdoor concert series “Sounds of Summer” returns to the Island aiding the recovery of New York City’s arts and culture scene. Also this month, we introduce you to our Local Hero of the Month. This Pleasant Plains resident retired from the FDNY in September 2021 after nearly four decades of dedicated service, but her retirement didn’t last long. She rejoined the workforce through a new Department of Aging program, which celebrates the skills, knowledge, and expertise retirees acquired while working for the city. This alliance benefits the work agencies continue to do every day, while also allowing them to be more age inclusive and diverse in the workplace. Plus, a look back at a Dongan Hills native who is spearheading projects, events and efforts to help local youths through athletics and activism, while pursing a professional, groundbreaking athletic career.

After a long pandemic pause, New York City is welcoming back the brave men and women of the military for Fleet Week. Also this month, we introduce you to our Local Hero of the Month. This Dongan Hills native is using his influence as a professional athlete to talk about mental health, and promote positivity, good sportsmanship and service to others. Plus, a look back at a local husband-and-wife duo who have spent decades embodying what it means to be altruistic, donating countless hours and effort to help those in need in many meaningful ways.

Gone are the Staten Island Yankees, and with them goes the defunct team’s former sponsor and stadium namesake… what FerryHawks executives have in store for the newly renovated ballpark in St. George. Also this month, we introduce you to our Local Heroes of the Month. This Staten Island couple has spent decades serving the borough and beyond through Kiwanis Club projects and initiatives with a focus on helping kids. Plus, a look back at an African-American woman who made history in our borough as a trailblazing professional who is leading the charge on the Island’s North Shore.

Women’s History Month is marked across the borough through art, cooking, creating and portrait picture taking. How the legacy of women of achievement lives on in imaginative ways. Also this month, we introduce you to our Local Hero of the Month, who is a pioneering woman herself, striving to make the borough we love a caring and safe place to live. Plus, a review of what makes Staten Island a great place to call home, according to an immigrant who moved to the borough and is living out the American dream.

Staten Island’s newest ferry boat is named in recognition of one of the nation’s first free Black settlements, the longstanding Sandy Ground community on the South Shore. Also this month, we are proud to bring you our first extended interview with our Local Hero of the Month. In this installment, we introduce you to an officer who has followed his dreams to become an American citizen and part of the NYPD’s ongoing mission to build bridges to the communities it serves. Plus, how a Charleston restaurant owner who stood by his employees from the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, has persevered by making empathy an important ingredient to his business operations.

It’s no joke, the decommissioned Staten Island Ferry boat John F. Kennedy is getting a new lease on life courtesy of two Island born-and-bred stars who saved it from the scrap heap. What Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and Pete Davidson have up their sleeves for the aging and obsolete vessel. Also this month, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weigh down the restaurant industry. How a Staten Island staple is managing to stay afloat. Plus, this episode’s “Local Hero of the Month” is the founder of an Island-based support network that for more than twenty years has answered the question, “where to turn?”

On this episode of the OnSI podcast… A special look back at the year that was, leading-off with renewed calls to remain vigilant, and calm, despite a late surge in COVID-19 cases. Also this month, the borough weathered the ongoing pandemic in 2021 with small, albeit important, victories all along the way. And, while some welcomed signs of normalcy returned this year, it was full of challenges locals had to overcome. Plus, even during the toughest of times, so many Staten Islanders remained committed to their hometown. As we look ahead, how the Island’s strong community spirit may once again play a pivotal role as we learn to live with COVID in 2022 and beyond.

On this episode of the OnSI podcast… On your marks, go! The starting block for the New York City Marathon returned to Staten Island for the postponed 50th running of one of the most famous races in the world. While it was a smaller field that assembled in Fort Wadsworth than in years past, it still was a big stride toward a greater sense of normalcy. Also this month, the Island’s holiday shopping season has shown signs of strength as retailers look to bounce back from pandemic-induced losses of 2020. How the South Shore Business Improvement District plans to assist this year by shining a spotlight on local establishments. Plus, this episode’s “Local Hero of the Month” is a community leader who always looked to elevate the borough by being a positive influence to so many of its residents. And, why even after death he remains a force for good.