By:Jamie Lynn Mitchell
O'side to hold WTC Benefit Day
The Oceanside World Trade Center Benefit Day will be held from 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday at Oceanside Park. A candlelight interfaith vigil will be held at 7 p.m. For more information, contact your local youth organizational leaders of Jeff Toback at 792-0785.
Bob Engelhard and company are ready to play.
Last week dozens of Oceanside community residents got together to plan a day of normalcy after days of tragedy.
The result was the Oceanside World Trade Center Benefit Day, which will kick off at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Oceanside Park.
Local civic leaders, school, religious and youth organizations will be on hand. Aside from thanking the local fire, police and EMS department, residents will be able to take part in ongoing sports games, raffles, bake sales and more.
Donations will be given to the Oceanside Community Service. The OCS will then distribute the funds to area families that have been affected by the attacks on Sept. 11.
Engelhard, a long-time youth's sports coach, said he and other coaches started talking recently about a day where they could just be themselves again.
"We thought, 'Let's just play again,'" he said. "We want to get the kids out there and play, have the (local fire, police and EMS department) come down to thank them, and just get together as a community."
The conversation snowballed into a "whole Oceanside and community event."
"I see the sadness everywhere, you can't look at the television or anywhere without seeing all the emotion," Engelhard said. "We're going to come out, we are going to play and show everybody we are all right. Show our kids that we are all right. We want to get together as a whole town to get a little bit of normalcy back."
Nassau County Legislator Jeff Toback is helping coordinate the event. He said it was important for the community to show its strength.
"This will give us a chance to show our grief as a community and to show as a community that the terrorists are not going to win," Toback said. "Our community is strong enough to withstand the tragedies, and we want to help the people who were directly affected in our community."
Toback said numerous sports leagues, school organizations and community organizations will be represented.
Everyone is invited to take part in the sports games, get their face painted or grab a Community Day t-shirt. A special interfaith candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m.
"I am hoping the whole town comes down, for every group just to be there," Engelhard said. "We want to show our thanks to those who have helped. It's just a shame that it takes something like this to learn what is and isn't important and to show our strength."
