Oceanside Chamber of Commerce hosts annual installation dinner

The Oceanside Chamber of Commerce will host its Annual Installation Dinner and Dance Feb. 20 starting at 7 p.m. at Kombert Caterers at Temple Avodah, 3050 Oceanside Road. This year, the Chamber will be honoring Maria Heller as “Citizen of the Year” and Marty Bevilacqua of Oceanville Mason Supply as “Business Person of the Year,” with the “Outstanding Youth Award” going to Oceanside High School student Casey English.

Maria Heller, who recently merged her Publicity Plus public relations business with Minuteman Press, is being honored for her many contributions to the community. Heller volunteers her time and energy with organizations such as Kiwanis Club, Oceanside Education Foundation, Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, Oceanside Garden Club and the First Methodist Church — to name a few. A former "Businesswoman of the Year," Heller's marketing expertise and ability to network throughout the town have proved invaluable to the promotion and improvement of Oceanside.

Marty Bevilacqua, this year's "Business Person of the Year," runs his Oceanville Mason Supply with personal concern for his employees as well as his town. He is a sponsor for every Kiwanis event throughout the year and was a founding sponsor of the Kiwanis Summer Gazebo Reading Series on Schoolhouse Green. Bevilacqua is also a supporter of South Nassau Communities Hospital, Saint Anthony’s Church, Oceanside High School’s Dawn Delirium, and Oceanside Stallions Hockey, among others. He is currently donating slate to be used at the Liberty Lighthouse Triangle at the center of town.

Oceanside High School senior Casey English balances her high honors school work with a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. As student body president, she has raised money for charities including the American Cancer Society, Island Harvest, the Oceanside District Scholarship Fund, Autism Speaks and the Wounded Warriors Foundation. Casey also serves as president of the Gay Straight Alliance and DECA. She has won awards at DECA’s New York State Career Conference and competed at the national level. Casey is also a member of the World Interest Club — Oceanside’s Model United Nations team.

The honorees will be recognized at the chamber's dinner dance. Tickets are $80 per person and are still available. To buy tickets, call Steven Kass at 764-1974.

—Courtesy Betsy Transom, director,

Oceanside Chamber of Commerce