By:Elizabeth Sagarin
Local lured to chair fishing tournament
Just when he thought that he was out, officials at South Nassau Communities Hospital managed to reel Dave Wygoda back in to chairing a large fishing tournament.
All it took was a good cause and a quadruple by-pass and the 25-year resident of Oceanside was hooked.
For the past 15 years Wygoda has chaired the Freeport Hudson Anglers' shark tournament, the largest on the eastern seaboard, according to their Web site. He also presided over the club for eight of the 20 years he has been a member.
Then in 1998, the owner of DHF International, a computer leasing company in Hewlett, decided to step down from the helm of the club and begin navigating towards calmer waters.
He announced in 2000 that it would be his last year as captain of the 29-year-old shark tournament. It was a disappointment, he said, to the nearly 100-member club he helped build from 35.
But the soon-to-be 54-year-old wanted to take back the hours he had devoted to getting businesses to sponsor the event, which under his leadership grew to nearly 350 boats, and get back to what initially got him on board: fishing.
"After 15 years of volunteering, I thought it was enough," Wygoda said in a raspy voice weathered by a 35-year, 2 1/2 pack a day smoking habit that he gave up two years ago.
In the wake of the decision to take a step back, Wygoda began experiencing heart burn and pressure in his chest.
On September 19, he was admitted to St. Francis Hospital to undergo quadruple by-pass surgery. The procedure was a success and he got the second chance his mother, Luba, who died of heart disease in 1983, never did.
For years Mike Schmaroth, a long-time member of South Nassau Communities Hospital's board of directors and former president of the council to the hospital, tried to recruit Wygoda to chair the fund-raiser named after his 23-year-old friend, Chris Larkin, who died of lymphoma in 1988.
"Whatever he tackles he does a wonderful job," said Schmaroth, knowing of Wygoda's track record through their long-time friendship.
It was especially crucial for Schmaroth to net Wygoda this year because all the proceeds from the event would benefit his pet project, SIBS Place, a free prevention and support program for the siblings of children and other devastating illnesses, which opened in October.
"When parents need to devote all their energy and skills in trying to help the sick child, by definition, they're taking some time away from their other child," Schmaroth said. That can often, Schmaroth said, leave the well-child feeling neglected and frustrated. "Their grades have a tendency to go down and unless these pent-up feelings are eradicated they end up with trauma that affects them the rest of their lives."
Mary Canzoneri, supervisor of the program, says SIBS Place is a fun atmosphere for children to go when their family is going through tough times. "It helps the well-sibling feel special and important in a very devastating time in their lives."
And with plans to make South Nassau a top-cancer treatment center in the works, Schmaroth said, a program like SIBS Place goes "hand and glove."
The service is offered for free and, according to Schmaroth, keeps growing. "We're blessed now with more kids," he said. "Their grades are creeping back up; it's proof things are doing well," he said of the program he hopes will catch on in hospitals throughout the nation.
Schmaroth's enthusiasm for the program along with Wygoda's new-founded appreciation for life facilitated the come back. "Mike's extremely good-hearted. He's very hard to say 'no' to," Wygoda admitted. "I'm thankful and fortunate I came through that (quadruple by-pass surgery) okay. This is my way of giving back," he said. Convincing Wygoda to dedicate half his year to organizing the event, Schmaroth said, wasn't too hard a task. "It's not difficult to get a person that has always been charitable."
Wygoda said, "I looked at the cause and what the money was being raised for," and he got working despite the consternation of his buddies at the Freeport Anglers, who missed his contribution to their competition a few weeks ago.
As a means of maximizing the event's fundraising potential, Wygoda gave the contest an overhaul. First he split the tournament in two categories: inshore division, offshore division. To enter either division a fee of $75 or $150 is required. To enter both, participants must pay both fees. "Keep in mind, it's a fund-raiser," Wygoda said.
The inshore competition covers fluke, bluefish and striped bass. The top-eight contestants in that category are eligible for cash and prizes valued up to $500.
The offshore competition covers tuna and shark. The top three spots in that category are eligible for cash and prizes valued up to $3,000.
Another addition was a captain's meeting prior to the event where instructions will be given and items donated from one of the many connections Wygoda has made over the years as an avid fisherman would be auctioned off to further benefit SIBS Place. An awards dinner will follow, also a new development.
Wygoda and Schmaroth said they hope the competition will yield close to $30,000 for SIBS Place. "To get a little you gotta give a little," Wygoda said.
To participate in the event and/or to get more information call South Nassau Communities Hospital's development office at (516) 632-3914, or Dave Wygoda at (516) 374-3440.
