The Fourth Annual Suffolk County Heroes Breakfast took place on Thursday, June 26th.
Hosted by Legislator Leslie Kennedy out of the 12th District, the Oheka Castle-set event brought heroes from across the island to Huntington—where they broke bread, traded stories, and received their flowers.
Created to honor thankless frontline workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic, the breakfast has consistently expanded thereafter. They recognize firefighters, police officers, and EMTs now as well.
A pair of Jacob’s Light Humanitarian Awards were presented to: (1): Suffolk County Police Officer Brendon Gallagher, hospitalized for three weeks with traumatic injuries he sustained while chasing down a repeat-offending highway speedster; and (2): Stephanie Diller, widow of New York City Police Officer Jonathan Diller, the Franklin Square native who was killed in cold blood while on the job in March 2024.
“Jonathan was the kind of man who made life better just by being in it. He had gentle strength, a steady moral compass, and a heart full of kindness,” Stephanie said of her late husband. “He was brave, Humble, and endlessly giving; the kind of person who didn’t need recognition to do what was right.”
An educator, Stephanie created the Officer Jonathan Diller Memorial Scholarship to support students who exhibit kindness, service, faith, integrity, courage and character.
Guest speaker Jim Jacobs of the Tunnels to Towers Foundation also spoke on the importance of recognizing those who signed up for a life of service and sacrifice not for the credit, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Tunnels to Towers was created in memory of the late Stephen Siller, a firefighter who died on 9/11. Unable to drive the blocked-off Brooklyn Battery Tunnel into Manhattan, Stephen famously strapped 60 pounds of gear to his back and raced on foot to the World Trade Center site, a mission from which he never returned.
The foundation provides mortgage-free homes to first responders’ families and special “smart” home adaptability for injured Veterans.
“It’s important to recognize the unsung heroes that walk side by side with us but never get that acknowledgment,” said Legislator Kennedy. “I’m thankful for all those who made this ceremony possible and gave thanks to those whose actions were extraordinary.”