By Mike Caputo
That compassionate gesture -- and many others like it -- is what separates Sobol from the rest. Those who know him say he never seeks credit, preferring to work behind the scenes while shunning awards, photo opportunities and gifts. Sobol simply enjoys helping people, his friends say.
³Listen, it¹s not about me,² a friend recalled Sobol telling him. ³It¹s never about me.²
Without fanfare, Sobol has given back to his community in countless ways, and the Herald is proud to honor him as its 2007 Person of the Year.
³He just wants to wake up every day and help somebody who is less fortunate than he is,² said longtime friend Chris McGrath, an attorney who lives in Inwood. ³If he finds out someone is less fortunate, he takes it upon himself to make sure that they have a better life.²
Sobol, 50, who co-owns Sobol Beverage Distributors with his brother Mike, is admired by many for his goal of giving to others. Though he grew up in Bellmore, he moved to Inwood when he opened his business more than 20 years ago. He has told friends that Inwood is where he belongs.
When the holiday season rolls around, Sobol goes out of his way to ensure that needy families and individuals are also able to enjoy themselves. ³He looks out for the poor and gives to them on Thanksgiving,² said friend Helen Magnolia, ³and he takes care of everybody that doesn¹t have a home.²
Each Thanksgiving, the Sobols open the doors of the business to the homeless. Pete and a group of volunteers serve a Thanksgiving meal to the people who redeem bottles and cans just to survive.
In December, Sobol prepares for the Christmas Dream, an organization he runs out of Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Inwood. The Christmas Dream, which initially provided toys to needy children in Inwood and North Lawrence, has expanded into an organization that helps kids and their families across the Five Towns during the holiday season.
The organization took root in front of Sobol Distributors about 12 years ago. Each year Sobol traveled upstate to rent a real reindeer, which he brought to Inwood. In exchange for an audience with the reindeer, he asked visitors for donations to the Christmas Dream.
In 1996, the Sobol brothers organized a charity wrestling show that starred a professional wrestler to raise money for the Christmas Dream. Last year, the organization helped a family pay for their home heating so that they could stay warm for the holidays. In the past, it has helped families buy food, gloves, hats and blankets. Sobol even helped a Far Rockaway family find a home after their house burned down.
Since the reindeer first appeared more than a decade ago, the Christmas Dream has expanded from helping 60 kids to helping some 6,000.
On Thursdays during the summer, Sobol and Deacon Stillwell of St. John Baptist Church in Far Rockaway venture to Shea or Yankee Stadium, but they don't go to take in a baseball game. As part of the Rock and Wrap It Up! program, Sobol and Stillwell deliver the stadium concessions¹ uneaten food to the hungry. Sobol has worked closely with Syd Mandelbaum, CEO of Rock and Wrap it Up!, a nationwide food recovery program.
Two years ago, a Far Rockaway elementary school was seeking to start a music program, so Sobol spearheaded a fundraiser to get instruments for the students. The group¹s first performance may not have been worthy of a Grammy, but it was music to Sobol¹s ears.
³I like to call him my angel,² said Stillwell, who is involved with community outreach in Far Rockaway. ³He¹s the kind of guy that when he sees the need, he steps in and fulfills that need.²
During the games played by the Inwood Buccaneers youth football team, Sobol Distributors donates soft drinks and other beverages to the organization to help it raise money at the concession stands. He also created and co-funded four scholarships for former Buccaneers entering college.
Even though Sobol is single and doesn¹t have children, he embraces every young member of the community as one of his own. Sobol¹s ³kids² are on the field, competing for the Buccaneers, or play in the Far Rockaway school¹s band. ³He has taken the Inwood community on like a family,² said Patty Vacchio, a longtime friend. ³The homeless are like his [siblings].²
Among those Sobol has befriended is Mike DeRosa, an Inwood resident and a fellow runner. Sobol told DeRosa that Inwood needed a running race of its own, so in 1993 they started the Inwood 5K Run, an event whose popularity has grown ever since. Proceeds from the race benefit an array of scholarships for graduating seniors in area high schools.
³He is a visionary,² DeRosa said of Sobol. ³If he puts his mind to something, he gets it done.²
Many of Sobol¹s friends express similar sentiments, complaining only about how difficult it is to summarize his endless dedication to helping his community. ³I used to scratch my head and say, ŒIs this guy for real?¹² McGrath said. ³It turned out he was for real.²
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
