A milestone in community service

Warwick - When Leo R. Kaytes recently issued a check to the Warwick Valley Little League, his company passed a milestone that he and his father, Leo Kaytes Sr., hadn’t expected or thought about. The Warwick Ford dealership on Route 94 had agreed to sponsor a Little League team for the upcoming season. When the agency’s accounting firm entered the donation in a ledger showing all contributions for 2005 as well as those since the company began doing business back in 1978, it discovered an interesting fact. Leo Kaytes Ford, Inc. had just passed the one million-dollar mark in charitable gift giving. “We should have created a foundation,” laughed Leo Kaytes Sr., founder and CEO of the award-winning dealership. “This achievement is nice to know but we did this over a period of 28 years. The community has always been good to us and we have always felt it was our obligation to give something back.” Leo Kaytes Sr. has been a Warwick resident for 20 years. He and his wife, Gladys, are not only proud of their five children and 16 grandchildren but they are also proud of their community and have always been active in local projects and organizations. “I think the first committee I ever served on was the one that fought against a plan for radioactive dumping,” he recalled. The organization, which conducted a successful campaign in the late 1980s, was known as WARD (Warwick against radioactive dumping). Since then, Kaytes has contributed both time and money to numerous events to benefit local institutions and organizations including St. Anthony Community Hospital and Winslow Therapeutic Riding. In 2000, the Warwick Jaycees named Leo Kaytes “Citizen of the Year” for his record of community service. And Ford Motor Company has also recognized Kaytes on many occasions for his volunteerism and generosity. He currently serves as president of the Winslow Board of Directors and is also a member of the Bon Secours Charity Health System Board of Directors. Leo R. Kaytes, president of Leo Kaytes Ford, Inc., is following in his father’s footsteps. In recent years, he and Frank Petrucci, owner of nearby Country Chevrolet, have co-chaired the annual golf outing for the benefit of St. Anthony Community Hospital, Schervier Pavilion and Mt. Alverno Center. “Hopefully,” said Leo R. Kaytes, “this is just the first million. Our dealership will continue to do whatever it can to support this wonderful community.” Fiesta de los Santo Reyes Warwick’s “Jubilee Presents,” the brainchild of local resident Judy Batista, was created to introduce and host Latino dancers, artists and musicians and to offer dance instructions for children and adults in the local area. Batista is also host of “Latin Jubilee,” a bi-lingual radio show which airs late Saturday afternoons on Warwick/Florida radio station WTBQ (1110 AM). The program, which features Latin music, special guests and commentary, will celebrate its first anniversary this February. Last Sunday, Jan. 8, Latin Jubilee, the Latino Market & Deli of Florida, N.Y, and other Latin American businesses sponsored “Fiesta de los Santo Reyes.” The celebration, held on the Catholic Feast of the Epiphany, was in honor of the wise men or kings who followed the bright star to Bethlehem bringing gifts for the newborn child Jesus. The Florida, N.Y., celebration featured refreshments, Mariachi music, pinatas and a traditional procession by the “Three Kings” and everyone who came to the event to St. Edward’s Church for a blessing by Father Patrick Buckley. For more information about Jubilee Presents, call 914-489-7402 or visit the Web site at: www.jubileepresents.com.