Oceanside VFW holds BBQ for a roof, honors Scout

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5199 of Oceanside needs to  replace its long-neglected roof and on July 2, asked the community to help chip in at a community barbecue event.

“We’ve needed a new roof for eight years, it keeps getting worse and worse; at first it was just a little drip but now it’s a flood,” Tim Hickey, Building Manager said. “There was a huge A/C unit up there that somebody stole scrap metal out of two years ago and now all the water gets in and comes through the building.”

The building also made additional renovations including a new patio and plumbing, which it is also seeking assistance with financially.

Attendees came to the event and paid for a $10 50/50 raffle ticket, which included burgers, hot dogs, sausage and peppers and other barbecue staples.

As of July 2nd, the event’s Facebook page said that they raised $2,500.

“It’s all about making the VFW better and surviving,” Hickey said. “That’s all its really about.”

The VFW also used the event as an opportunity to honor James Keeney, of Oceanside, who was recently named the top Eagle Scout of the year of Nassau County.

“We got great recommendations and he’s somebody who’s very involved with our VFW and we’re very proud to have a young man like this representing us,” Commander Mike Wetherell said. “We read through his application and noted all things he does for his school and local community and that’s what motivated us to recognize him today.”

Keeney said,

“I had originally been a Boy Scout since I was about five or six, I started in Queens and came to Oceanside when I was 10 or 11. For my Eagle Scout project, I redid, repainted and refinished the Saint Anthony’s preschool playground because I taught there as a religious instructor and noticed it looked a little run-down and needed some work. It took a little while but it came out decently and it’s much safer and more enjoyable for the kids to play on now. I volunteer a lot with the church; I enjoy volunteering and that’s what I earned the award for.”