Oceanside Chamber of Commerce set for annual cocktail reception

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There will be music, a photo booth, hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and many raffle prizes at the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce’s annual cocktail reception on Jan. 30.

Community members will mingle and enjoy the evening, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at Kombert Caterers, Temple Avodah. The event is the chamber’s only fundraiser and its largest source of revenue for the year, according to Maria Heller, its assistant treasurer. The chamber invites guest business speakers to its monthly meetings and offers scholarships to youth in the community, she added.

The cocktail reception will include the installation of the 2020 chamber officers. It will also honor a Citizen of the Year and Business of the Year, each of whom “go above and beyond to make the community a better place to live,” chamber members said.

This year’s Citizen of the Year is Brian Driscoll, a lifelong Oceanside resident who is now raising his family in the hamlet. Driscoll is a detective with the NYPD in the Child Abuse Squad. He is also part of the NYPD’s With Arms Wide Open, an organization that assists families with children who have disabilities.

Driscoll’s son, Liam, has a rare syndrome called ATR-X, which prevents him from walking. Driscoll has raised $3,000 for With Arms Wide Open.

In addition, Driscoll is founder of the Stop Drugs and Crime Facebook page, which educates members about the drug epidemic in the community. According to the chamber, he has personally assisted more than a dozen people in receiving rehabilitation, regardless of whether they could afford it. He also founded Oceanside Warriors, a volunteer organization that cleans up areas of Oceanside, such as memorials and welcome signs, and helps get children involved with community service projects.

The Art of Self Defense is the chamber’s Business of the Year. Owner Brad Lemley will accept the award. He has contributed his services for free throughout the community, such as giving martial arts demonstrations in the schools. He also volunteered a performance at the chamber’s Fam Fest last year.

Chamber business members’ products will be featured on the “Wheel of Commerce” showcase at the event, where guests can play and win products and services with raffle tickets.

Tickets to attend the cocktail reception are $75 per person. For more information, visit Oceanside NY Chamber of Commerce on Facebook.