Fundraiser Honors Beloved North Fork Teacher's 'Beautiful Soul'
ORIENT, NY — A fundraising event Saturday will honor the memory of a beloved North Fork teacher lost too soon.
“Join us in honoring the legacy of Cindy Goldsmith-Agosta, a dedicated teacher, by raising funds to provide scholarships for local students,” organizers said. “Your support helps continue her passion for education and community.”
The annual Chinese auction will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oysterponds School, located on Main Road in Orient. The event benefits the Cindy Goldsmith-Agosta Scholarship Fund.
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More than 110 prizes are available, ranging from $65 to more than $400. Admission, which includes free snacks and beverages, costs $5 for ages 18 and over. The Oysterponds faculty will be doing a 50/50.
Goldsmith-Agosta’s loss left hearts shattered across hamlets and miles. In the days after her sudden death, those who loved her reached out to pay tribute to a woman who touched all of their lives forever.
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Fellow teacher and dear friend Carrie Burke spoke at a vigil held this week outside Greenport High School: “Cindy was not only a colleague, but a soul sister. Intelligent, passionate, fierce, strong and loving. She was all of this but so much more. As a friend, she was loyal, honest and always knew the go to person or had helpful advice when needed. As an educator, she was dedicated and a strong advocate for her students. Cindy represented the heart of Greenport High School and worked hard to maintain the family spirit of Greenport despite inevitable change. She inspired me to be a better teacher, friend and human,” she said.
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The loss to her family, her friends, the school and community “is something that will never be healed, but rather endured,” Burke said. “Her light shone brightly in the brief time she was here, but, oh, what a legacy she left.”
Mindy Viggiano, who also taught with Goldsmith-Agosta, wrote of her sadness on social media: “Cindy and Mindy, Mindy and Cindy. ‘She is she and I am me but she and me, we are we.'”
Speaking with Patch, Viggiano said she’d co-taught with Goldsmith-Agosta for 17 out of 18 years.
“She was truly a special person. I was blessed to simply know her. She had this uncanny ability to make everyone feel special. Each student, friend, colleague — she made each of us feel like we mattered. She made people feel good, she was supportive and strong and you could count on her for a helping hand. She wore her heart on her sleeve and gave so much of herself to others.”
Viggiano said when she had her son, Michael, every time Goldsmith-Agosta saw him, she would say, “‘My Michael!’ She just made him feel like he was the most important person in the world. She just had this ability to create that spark in people. You want to be around her, to soak up her presence, her spirit. Never was there a more beautiful soul.”
Heartbroken, she added: “Cindy was one of my best friends and I can’t believe she is gone. There truly was never a better soul. I miss her beyond belief.”
Thomas O’Leary said he was devastated by her loss. As a new teacher in Greenport, he said: “She made such an impact on my life. She treated me like family. She was my ‘teacher/fairy godmother. She had my back.”
Christine Koprivica added: “Cindy was a light that could never be dimmed. Her light shined through us all. Memories of a beautiful soul, that will forever live within our hearts.”
Former student Shyane Jones spoke through tears at the vigil held for a teacher who’d become a guiding light.
“Mrs.Goldsmith believed in me more than I believed in myself. She pushed me to always be my best and to do my best. I never do well with people passing, not sure that anyone does. But, this one, this one right here hurts more than ever. . . She was that ray of sunshine you needed to
get you through any day. Her smile. Her charisma. She was warm, loving and caring. She wasalways thinking about the next person. Always, always, putting people before her. I hope that inmy lifetime I am half the person Cindy was.”
Speaking to Patch, she added: “She had so much life ahead of her. This wasn’t supposed to be her story. . . I just wish that I had one more day with her. But, until we meet again, may she rest in eternal peace.”
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