A new way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Rockville Centre

Parade committee launches initiative to support local businesses

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For the past 25 years, the Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been a widely anticipated event in the community, an exuberant celebration known for its charitable outreach as well. With the continuing pandemic preventing a large gathering for a second year, the “parade that shares and cares” has found a new way to give back. For the entire month of March, the parade committee will focus on generating financial support for the local business community.

“For nearly 25 years the RVC community has supported the Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Parade,” said Andrew Healey, president of the parade committee, noting that it has raised more than $1.3 million and supported more than 70 charities over the years. “This year there are a lot of people hurting, and we decided to turn the tide.”

On Monday, the committee launched a charitable GoFundMe page, with a goal of raising $25,000 for small businesses in the village. “The Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Parade MARCH for Small Business” campaign seeks to help 13 people or organizations in two categories: small businesses and individual employees. Applications are being accepted through March 12, and three businesses will be selected to receive up to $5,000 each, while 10 employees of local businesses could be awarded up to $1,000 each.

“It’s a win-win,” Healey said. “It helps those who are hurting now, and in the end it will help everyone when we get back to some sense of normal.”

Committee members, he added, launched the campaign at “lightning speed,” making it happen in about two weeks.

Each year, the committee selects a grand marshal and several benefiting charitable organizations. The charities must apply for the funding, and, Healey said, choosing them is “the hardest thing to do.” The charities chosen last year — the Rockville Centre Breast Cancer Coalition, the Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund and the Holy Family School for the Deaf — will not be forgotten, he said, but the fundraising efforts will pause until next year.

“We still have a responsibility to charities, and we’ll never shy away from that,” Healey said. “This is a way to support the small businesses, many of whom have been so supportive of local organizations over the years.”

Applicants must submit a three-minute video to the committee detailing the reasons they are applying and how they would use the funds. According to the details posted on the RVC St. Patrick’s Day Parade website, the first 30 seconds of the video should be an overview of the business, because it will be used for promotional purposes, while the remainder will be kept confidential. Healey said that a selection committee consisting of five people yet to be named — two board members and others from different organizations — would choose the recipients.

On March 9, a tree lighting is planned in the village for a “Go Green” initiative, to remind residents of St. Patrick’s Day and, committee members hope, to inspire them to donate to the small-business campaign. “I think a lot of people have saved money this year by not going out as much,” Healey said, “and donating gets you involved in something you believe in.”

After canceling the parade with about a week to go last year, Healey said the committee hoped to be able to stage it this year, but it just didn’t feel safe. The plan is to celebrate Grand Marshal Ellen White, director of the community arts program the Backyard Players and Friends, as well as the selected charities, when it is safe to do so.

By Tuesday, as the Herald went to press, the initiative had gained support among small-business owners and had already raised more than $2,200. Chris Nedaglia, bartender and bar manager of the Dark Horse Tavern on South Park Avenue, said that some of his employees could use the money, and that he was looking into the application process. “I’m very excited to see that they are looking to give back to employees,” he said. “It’s a great service that they’re doing.”

Alicia Halegua, a village resident who started a “We Heart RVC” Instagram page last month to help people keep up on everything from sales to events in the community, said she was happy to see the small-business campaign.

“The local businesses and employees are what makes Rockville Centre such a wonderful place to live, and unfortunately, they’ve really been put through the ringer this year,” Halegua said. “I’m so grateful for the parade committee and excited for the businesses. It’s such an amazing opportunity for them.”

Go to www.rvcstpatrick.com for more information and to view the application details. To donate, go to charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/the-rockville-centre-st-patricks-parade-march-for-small-business.