Manhasset student wins\u00a0congressional\u00a0art contest with message\u00a0of peace<\/a><\/p>\nThis year residents can find Maley and other auxiliary members distributing poppies at locations including King Kullen, the Manhasset post office and Manhasset Bagels during Memorial Day weekend. Members are also collecting donations at Raindew and after masses at St. Mary\u2019s Church.<\/p>\n
Maley said her volunteer work has deepened her understanding of the struggles many veterans face after returning home, particularly with mental health, food insecurity and readjustment to civilian life.<\/p>\n
Recently, she spearheaded a community cooking fundraiser that raised more than $1,000 for the Nassau County veterans food pantry.<\/p>\n
Her mother, Donna Lee, said watching her daughter embrace service work so passionately has been deeply meaningful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m so grateful that Autumn found a cause she truly believes in,\u201d Lee said. \u201cShe connects her passion with her artistic creativity to bring joy to veterans, whether she is making holiday cards or creating personal videos for veterans in hospice care. She realizes how meaningful it is to make them feel appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n
American Legion Auxiliary Unit 304 President Pat O\u2019Brien said Maley\u2019s selection as Poppy Queen was a natural choice. \u201cAutumn has a very sincere commitment to those who served and continue to serve our country. This isn\u2019t just another service project to her,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cShe brings so much energy and a smile to our meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
For O\u2019Brien, passing these values to the next generation is the ultimate goal of the auxiliary, especially as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeaching children about the meaning of Memorial Day, the price of freedom, and the sacrifices made by our veterans is a way to help them understand that freedom is not free,\u201d O\u2019Brien said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who serve always say that they will leave no one behind,\u201d O\u2019Brien added. \u201cWe must continue to say that no one who sacrificed their lives for our country shall ever be forgotten. That can only be done by teaching our youth to remember and be grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond veterans causes, Maley also hopes to continue advocating for women affected by human trafficking, an issue she became passionate about after visiting a shelter in Italy that supports survivors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to keep helping people and raising awareness,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s something I hope to continue for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seventeen-year-old Autumn Maley has already built a resume that rivals many adults \u2014 varsity lacrosse player, AP art…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235581,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[92222,8424,92223,9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-235580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-american-legion-post","tag-manhasset","tag-manhasset-memorial-day-parade","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235580"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235580\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\u201cMy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4228.jpeg\")
\u201cMy Grandfather\u2019s Army Keepsakes,\u201d a colored pencil piece by 2026 Manhasset Poppy Queen Autumn Maley. The artwork reflects her grandfather\u2019s journey as an orphan who found a new lease on life, structure, and lifelong goals through his service in the U.S. Army.Photo provided by Autumn Maley<\/p>\n