Huntington Habitat for Humanity is on a Mission

It wasn’t long after he was hired by the Huntington UFSD to work as a dean of students at Huntington High School in 2003, that Robert Gilmor filed the paperwork to establish a Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Mr. Gilmor sought out some of the building’s most enthusiastic students as members. From that group came four especially determined teenagers who assumed roles as the group’s first executive board. They went about setting ambitious goals and raising money to establish a strong footing. Since then, the Huntington High School chapter has thrived as one of Long Island’s most active Habitat for Humanity units.

Habitat for Humanity is a worldwide organization dedicated to eliminating poverty and homelessness by building housing side-by-side with those in need.

The Huntington chapter’s founding set of officers included Laura Ellman (president), Libby Thomson (vice-president), Cheryl Wayne (treasurer) and Katy Nastro (secretary). That energetic group made its mark and helped establish the foundation for the club’s success through the years.

A graduate of the College of Wooster in Ohio, Mr. Gilmor earned a Master of Social Work degree at SUNY Stony Brook in 1994. He later obtained certification as a school administrator through Long Island University. He was employed from January 1997 through the summer of 2003 as an Elwood School District social worker. He founded Elwood’s Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Prior to his stint in Elwood, Mr. Gilmor worked for two years as a social worker at The Opportunity Pre-School in Kings Park and was a special needs worker and sports and leisure night counselor for a year at Youth Directions and Alternatives in Northport.

At the time of his hiring in the district, Mr. Gilmor was no stranger to Huntington High School as he completed a school social work internship in the building from September 1993 to June 1994. He has also worked as a case manager for Suffolk’s American Red Cross community service program.

The 2026/27 school year will once again see dozens of Huntington students forming the ranks of the high school’s Habitat for Humanity chapter membership. The group will be led by an executive board that includes Gabby LoScalzo (president), Manpreet Kaur (vice president/treasurer) and Nallely Linares Guardado (secretary) and Addison Delfino (public relations coordinator).

Club members have traveled out of state annually for years, with multiple trips usually occurring during mid-winter and spring vacation periods. The club raises money to defer individual expenses for the treks, which are typically in response to some type of natural disaster that has wiped out housing for thousands.

The Huntington Habitat club welcomes new members of any grade level. It also hopes to receive community support and even corporate sponsorship. Interested in joining the campaign to make the world a better place? Send a message to Mr. Gilmor at rgilmor@hufsd.edu.