West Islip Beautification

Dorothe Karwoski had a vision and it all came together one night at Marie Wilson’s house. Dorothe showed us all how beautiful our hamlet in West Islip could be with a little tender care, a lot of hard work, and our love of flowers. We had a committee of Dorothe Karwoski, Beatrice White, Kathy Ruotolo, Arlene Widecki, Marie Wilson, and June Quirino. We were all PTA moms with a common interest; our love for our community.
We chose Marie Wilson’s house as her husband was a lawyer and we wanted to do everything right. We had Robert Wilson do all of our paperwork so that we could continue our work for the betterment of the community. Each one of us had a job; Dorothe was president, Arlene was Vice President, Kathy was Recording Secretary, Bea was Historian, Marie was Hospitality, and June was the Photographer.
Our first job was to make bylaws as well as a commitment to each other. We all were instructed to get new members to help beautify W.I. We did some fundraisers and were able to buy many whiskey barrels to be used as planters on chosen sites. Each member had so many of the barrels to be responsible for. We then approached the town asking that we be allowed to have the triangle at Udall Road and Higbie Lane. It was okayed and our real work began.
The island was a little dangerous in those days because traffic came from all directions. After we finally planted the triangle, we had to drag hoses across the road while one of us held back the traffic. As time went on, we adopted more islands and sites. We were fortunate and happy as so many more people chose to join us, like Ray Bell of Bell’s Garden and Ken Beebee of Beebee’s Florist to name a few. Our work continues to this day.
We now have a list of very dedicated members that care for 54 barrels, lampposts, and greens on Dorothe’s Island and other islands around West Islip. It only started with a few people with a dream, and we now offer a $500 scholarship each year and have many new planters and lampposts. We do plant sales and have a table at the West Islip Country Fair. Over the years, we have had Country Western Nights, Fashion Shows, Dinners, and fundraisers at Southward Ho Country Club. We are always looking for dedicated new members to keep our vision a reality and help beautify W.I.

– Beatrice White