The Community Chest of Port Washington will celebrate residents Jerry and Nancy Federlein as the 2025 Citizens of the Year at a ceremony on Monday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Washington Public Library. The event will honor the Federleins’ five decades of service to the Port Washington community.
The Federleins have made countless improvements to the Port Washington community through their volunteer service at organizations, including the Port Jewish Center, Community Chest of Port Washington, Landmark on Main Street, Port Soccer Club and the Job Seekers Network.
“We are thrilled to honor Jerry and Nancy as Citizens of the Year, recognizing their meaningful contributions to our community,” said Drew Hershkowitz, president of the Community Chest of Port Washington.
Before moving to Port Washington, the Federleins met across the globe in Eastern Nigeria in 1966. Jerry Federlein was on a mission with the Peace Corps while his future wife, Nancy Smith, was on a similar mission with the Voluntary Service Overseas for Great Britain, her home country.
Federlein was born in the Bronx and raised in Bayside, Queens, while Smith was born in Alexandria, Egypt, where her father served in the Royal Navy during World War II . In the decades since first meeting, the Federleins have continued their volunteer service stateside, like serving on committees for annual food drives for Our Lady of Fatima.
The Federleins also introduced the community to the “Pedals 4 Progress” biking initiative at Our Lady of Fatima and the Port Jewish Center, which sent used bikes to developing countries. Local families would also receive used bikes following bike donation events that the Federleins helped organize.
Nancy Federlein also served as co-president of Landmark on Main Street during the organization’s early years when she was with the Joseph Labenson accounting firm.
For 22 years, Nancy Federlein taught sciences, including chemistry, physics and environmental science, at Roslyn High School. But teaching wasn’t the only way Nancy Federlein served children; she also led a Brownie troop while Jerry Federlein coached for the Port Soccer Club.
Jerry Federlein also created The Job Seekers Network at the Port Washington Public Library, which supported people struggling with career transitions or job searches.
Since 1985, Jerry Federlein has been an active member of the Community Chest of Port Washington. He started as a door-to-door canvasser to help fund-raise for the organization before becoming campaign committee chair and board member in 1987.
The Federleins’ dedication to service extended far beyond the Port Washington community. In addition to their volunteer missions in Africa, the Federleins joined other Port Washington residents following Hurricane Katrina to build houses with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans for a week.
More recently, the Federleins said they volunteer with Laundry Love, which helps families in need by providing laundry services, and Plant a Row for the Hungry in Port Washington, where Jerry helps prepare and harvest plant beds while Nancy delivers food to the organization’s food pantry.
Nancy and Jerry Federlein are the 49th Citizen of the Year award recipients. Their names will be engraved alongside the previous recipients on the obelisk on permanent display at the Port Washington Public Library.
To attend the Citizen of the Year event on Monday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m., contact the Community Chest at (516) 767-2121 or email info@portchest.org.
