Former N.Y. business owner full of compassion, activism

By JEAN HAYES
Published September 9, 2007

Woodrow "Woody" Cornetta, 73, works at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Spring Hill, but that's not all.
	[Ron Thompson | Times]

How long have you lived in Hernando County, and where do you live? Where did you live previously?

My wife and I have lived in Hernando County for seven years. We live in the Weeki Wachee area and came here from Northport, Long Island, N.Y.

Who are the members of your family?

My wife Joan and our five sons. Kenneth and his family live in Indianapolis. Paul and his family live in Virginia. John, Richard and Thomas all live on Long Island with their families. Joan and I have 11 grandchildren.

Tell us about your career.

I owned a paint and decorating store on Long Island called Elmont Paint and Design Center. My folks started it in 1948, and my son Thomas is still operating it.

What kinds of activities are you involved in now?

Basically our church, St. Theresa Catholic Church, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. My wife and I are eucharistic ministers at St. Theresa. On Saturdays, we visit residents in area hospitals and homebound individuals and deliver the Eucharist because they are unable to attend Mass.

And the society, well it just captured me. At first I started out working in the thrift store as a volunteer for half a day; then it became a full day, and now it's my career. I've been the district president since 2005. The district covers Hernando and Citrus counties. And I oversee six conferences in the district.

Tell me more about that.

When I saw what great work was being done here and how involved the church conferences are, it motivated me to start a conference in 2001 at St. Theresa Catholic Church.

These conferences are the key, most important elements in the St. Vincent de Paul Society because they receive the calls from folks asking for help, and they will make visits to homes to determine the need and what assistance the conference can provide.

Today we have conferences at St. Joan of Arc, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Anne, St. Theresa, St. Mary, and in Citrus County, at St. Thomas. It was a joint effort of three conferences that began the thrift store in 1998. They knew that if they had more funds to work with, they would be able to assist more needy clients, and with their foresight and God's guidance the store has succeeded and tripled in size.

Store proceeds now provide funds for all six church conferences. We also maintain a very active food pantry that is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Already this year, we have served more than 3,000 families aside from the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets provided to clients. We accomplish all this because of our dedication to low prices geared to neighbors who need to shop for best values and our wonderful donors.

One volunteer is tasked with helping clients get free medications from pharmaceutical manufacturers. She does the paperwork with the doctor and the companies to obtain medicine for those who qualify with their regulations.

Recently, we started a program to help working mothers and families with daycare assistance. A conference will bring the prescreened client to our board committee to determine the amount and time frame for help that can be provided.

Do you have any special hobbies?

At the moment I don't have any hobbies. In the past I loved fishing, and I like to travel - I appreciate that. When I had my own business, it involved most of my time, and there wasn't a lot of time for hobbies.

Now, whatever free time my wife and I get, we like to visit with the kids and our grandchildren. They are all coming to ages when some are graduating and some are getting married.

What are your favorite things to do in Hernando County?

We live in the community of Glen Lakes, and we enjoy being part of that community very much. Whether it just entertaining with our friends, it's a type of community we didn't have before. To be in a wonderful community has been a pleasure for Joan and me.

But the nicest thing about Hernando County, and being involved in our church and the society, is the wonderful friends we've made here. Last year I got sick and wound up in the hospital for a few weeks. It took a good time before I got back into the swing of things. Besides receiving hundreds of get-well cards and well wishes, folks were willing to work for me and pray for me. This is what's priceless about Hernando County.

What do you think would make Hernando County a better place to live?

It's probably not popular to say, but I do like the county and how it's being run when I compare it to New York. They were distant to residents in New York. Here, officials are just a phone call away, and they are our neighbors and are working the best they can to help.

What Hernando does need is better-paying jobs and low-cost housing because we have too many working poor. Our clients need to call us; they have to find help somewhere. Most of them are working, trying to raise a family, yet don't make enough for today's cost of living at the barest levels. You see their struggles and you also see their faith, wanting and working for a decent life. So we're pleased when we provide hope and let them know that someone does care.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.

Most folks who know me probably don't know about my association work. I am a past president of the New York Paint and Decorating Association, and am a past president of the National Paint and Decorating Association. That took a lot of my time, in addition to running the business. It was probably close to 20 years that I devoted to those associations. I've always been motivated by work or production.

It was a very involved educational process, not only for me, but my fellow paint associates. Through the associations, we developed lots of educational standards that are still in place today. We developed programs that clerks and workers in paint stores would have to know. We encouraged a change in store presentations, taking it from the old paint store to the decorating centers we have today.

We helped bring about a change so the dealers were better sources and knew their products better. Educational courses help dealers earn certification as decorators, consultants or paint experts.

Hernando Neighbors is an occasional feature of the Hernando Times. Do you know someone who would make a good profile? We'd like to hear from you. Contact Jean Hayes, community news coordinator, at jhayes@sptimes.com or 848-1438.

[Last modified September 8, 2007, 21:02:07]