Patron Spotlight: Deb and Jennah Newton
By Regina G. Feeney and Cynthia J. Krieg
There are three things that Deb loves: being a mom,
riding a motorcycle, and the Freeport Memorial Library. Deb’s fondness for libraries began as a child
in Amityville. Her mother took her to
the library frequently and, for many years, she was an active participant in
the various summer reading clubs. Work
eventually brought Deb to Freeport.
While working at the Social Security Office on Sunrise Highway, Deb
would often come to the library on her lunch break. Eventually, she bought a co-op close to work
and the library.
Deb believes in following her dreams. As a teenager, she always wanted to learn to
ride a motorcycle. Once she was living
on her own, she took lessons, got her motorcycle license, and bought a
bike. Deb also likes being a
trailblazer. She became the first woman
to join the Queen's motorcycle club, the Urban Knights. Her tenacity paid off. While in the club, she met and married fellow
Urban Knight, Mark Newton.
On August 21, 2009, Mark and Deb had a baby girl named
Jennah. Since then, Deb has been home
schooling her daughter with materials from the library. Like her own mother, Deb wants Jennah to be a
life-long library user. She makes a
special effort to take Jennah to the library every chance she gets. "Between six and nine months old"
Deb said, "Jenna was enrolled in Baby and Me." From there came Crafty Toddler, Circle Time, Mother
Goose, Parent-Child Workshop, and more.
The door to the Newton's apartment is decorated with many of Jenna's
library crafts. Deb also takes advantage
of the library's Museum Pass program that allows Freeport residents to
check-out passes to local museums for free.
The Newton's have been to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, the Long
Island Children’s Museum, and the Cradle of Aviation.
After Hurricane Sandy hit, Deb noticed that many of her neighbors
in her co-op were struggling to keep their children entertained. Schools were closed, gas was next to
impossible to get, and families were suffering from cabin fever. Deb received permission from the building’s
management agent to open the party room and created the "Park Sutton
Kiddie Club." Deb modeled many of
the club's activities from library programs she and Jennah had attended. For about a week, children could play, read,
draw, and do crafts. The club even held
a baking program. Jennah especially
loved making the "princess cookies."
Wherever Deb and Jennah go, they like to check out the
local library. But according to Deb,
"Nothing compares to our library.
The staff is so accommodating and I appreciate that the library offers the
same programs at different times during the week. Freeport Memorial Library is awesome!"
