Wantagh-Seaford Patch Readers Choose John Theissen 2011 Person of the Year

After a little more than three days of voting, Wantagh-Seaford Patch readers have selected John Theissen as the community’s 2011 Person of the Year.

Theissen of Seaford, who in 1992 founded the Wantagh-based , garnered 71 percent of the 1,610 votes cast. Theissen was one of four nominees after Wantagh-Seaford Patch last week for its first Person of the Year contest.

Theissen began the JTCF soon after surviving a brain tumor that deprived him of his final years at MacArthur High School. The charity held its 10th annual at in Wantagh on Dec. 1. The local charity is also in the midst of its 20th annual holiday toy drive.

The other nominees who received support in the voting for Wantagh-Seaford Patch 2011 Person of the Year included:

• of Seaford- Powell was a longtime civic leader and maritime enthusiast in Seaford before he died from an aortic aneurysm at age 64 on Feb. 10, 2011. He served 46 years with the , which displayed a large American flag next to its headquarters on 2170 Southard Ave. in honor of Powell the day of his funeral.
• of Wantagh-- Vega worked tirelessly this year with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign to get New York's Complete Streets Law after her 14-year old daughter Brittany was crossing Sunrise Highway on Sept. 22, 2010.
• of Seaford- Price and Lynch have served this year as co-presidents for Save Seaford Sports, an organization  to raising the $141,000 needed to restore the  winter and spring athletic seasons after they were cut from the budget. The organization has so far to restore the first part of the winter middle school athletics season.

Congratulations to Theissen for winning the Wantagh-Seaford Patch's 2011 Person of the Year, and to the other nominees who are winners as well for all they have done for the local community.