Tie campaign binds Central District together

On Oct. 16, Cory Epstein, a senior at Kennedy High School in Bellmore, nervously counted the donated ties that he and Bellmore-Merrick Central District volunteers had collected for a special charity project. He tallied them one by one, until he reached 10,868.

At 8 o'clock the next morning, he did it all over again, with assistance from friends and fellow students. That was when roughly 100 volunteers from the five Central District schools came to the Kennedy track to help Epstein break the Guinness world record for most ties knotted together. The experience, Epstein said, was uplifting.

“I couldn’t believe all of those people were there,” he said. “Everything worked, and I was just in awe of it. The community was really united, and the event really served its purpose of bringing everyone together.”

All ties will be given to Goodwill Industries and Career Gear, which provides professional attire for low-income men so they can go on job interviews.

Last year the Central District began a new initiative, which Superintendent John DeTommaso called One Voice, One Message. It was intended to bring students from all five district schools together to work on charity projects.

Epstein was mulling ideas about how to “tie” the community together. “That word resonated in my head,” he said. “Then I thought, Wow, I’m sure so many people have old ties that are collecting dust in their closets. So, we’re symbolically and literally tying our community together with our efforts.”

With a little research, Epstein soon learned that there was, in fact, a Guinness world record for the longest chain of neckties: 8,695. From there, his Ties 4 Ties campaign was born. In April, donation bins were placed in all six district buildings, including Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools; Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue middle schools; and the Brookside administrative center in North Merrick. Epstein also reached out to the community’s churches, supermarkets and four elementary districts and libraries to see whether they wanted to help.

Epstein called Vineyard Vines, Jos. A. Bank, Men’s Wearhouse and Tie Bar as well as dry cleaners and shops like Mur-Lees of Lynbrook, seeking donations. The experience was a crash course in networking for Epstein, who plans to study business in college.

Kennedy Principal Lorraine Poppe said she was proud of Epstein and the other students who volunteered their time to the initiative. Superintendent John DeTommaso echoed her sentiments.

“An idea like this is truly spectacular,” he said on Oct. 17, when the record was broken. “The power and pride of Bellmore-Merrick is on full display today.”