Bob and Barbara Mongillo

The Officers and Trustees of the Patchogue-Medford Hall of Fame Booster Club are proud to present the extraordinary Barbara and Bob Mongillo as their 2018 Persons of the Year.

The Mongillos are the founders, operators, and inspirational leaders of Patchogue’s Dew Drop Inn, a vital meeting place and home-away-from-home where dozens of special needs children, teens, and young adults come together to have fun, learn, and grow towards achieving independent and productive lives.

Bob, a deacon at St. Francis de Sales church and Barbara, a registered nurse, have been married for 37 years and live a shared life that shines brightly with the very finest qualities of love, compassion and selfless generosity. The Dew Drop Inn, which they opened in November 2016, “is just a continuation of our everyday life,” says Barbara. The Mongillos are parents to 24 children – six of their own, plus another 18 whom they have adopted, each a child with special needs. In the Mongillo home every one of the 24 is welcomed with open arms and without hesitation. That kind of unconditional love extends from their home to the Dew Drop Inn, since it is Bob and Barbara’s mission to do all they can to make as many children as possible feel loved and valued, and have a place where they belong.

An official 501(c) organization, the Dew Drop Inn’s mission is “To engage, inspire and integrate people of all abilities into a community environment that provides friendship, love and fostering growth toward independence.” At the Inn, members of the Mongillos’ “extended family” come together from all over Brookhaven Town three nights a week and on holidays for all manner of special events, games, parties, movies, or just to hang out and share life stories with one another. In addition to all the fun, the Mongillos also provide guests with opportunities to learn life skills, as well as share a meal, courtesy of Barbara’s delicious home cooking.

In addition to his church and Dew Drop activities, Bob has also been instrumental in promoting the activities of the newly formed Brookhaven Disability Task Force, a vital organization that was created to help the township’s special needs families find important resources to support them in raising their children to work towards greater independence.

The Patchogue-Medford Hall of Fame proudly salutes Barbara and Bob Mongillo.