By Scott Brinton
At the front of the crowd stood Craig Levine of Merrick, father of the late Robbie Levine, who died at age 9 of a heart condition in the fall of 2005. Wearing shorts and a T-shirt, Craig was ready to run in honor of his son.
The sky was overcast. The pack, full of residents from throughout the Bellmore-Merrick community, flooded the corner of Lindenmere Drive and Merrick Road in Merrick, spilling into a thicket of big willow trees at Cammans Pond Park, just east of Levy-Lakeside Elementary School.
Craig posed momentarily with his wife, Jill, and son, Josh, so newspaper photographers could take pictures of the family together. Then Jill and Josh moved aside. The pace car lurched forward. Twelve-year-old Adam Cruz of Brentwood, a wheelchair racer, was given a 10-second head start. And the signal that all awaited came: "Go!"
The crowd was off, running for Robbie.
For the second straight year, the Levines organized Robbie's Run, a 5K race that raises funds to ensure that athletic fields where youth leagues practice and compete have automatic external defibrillators readily available. The Levines believe an AED might have saved their son, who died after rounding the bases at Levy-Lakeside during a Little League practice. Craig Levine, an oral surgeon, performed CPR on his son in an effort to save his life.
"All Major League Baseball and National Football League playing and practice fields have AEDs available and accessible at all times," said Jill Levine. "In addition, all schools in New York state are required by law to have defibrillators. It is critical that our children have the same ability to be safe on their playing fields as they are in school."
Through the foundation they created to raise funds for AEDs, Forever 9, the Levines recently produced a DVD that explains the importance of defibrillators. ³We urge all youth athletic directors to view this DVD and follow up by working with the Forever 9 Foundation to set up their own AED programs,² Jill said. ³Our goal is to see every youth athletic field outfitted with an AED.²
Included on the DVD is a song written and produced by one of Robbie's many friends, 15-year-old Matthew Neugeboren of Merrick. In part, the song goes, "In broken-hearted times, we look up to the sky/ and we'll never, we'll never forget you./ Cherished memories remain, but that don't heal the pain./ And we'll never, we'll never forget you."
In addition to the main race, the Levines sponsored a kids' fun run earlier in the morning. Some 600 children took part, bringing the total number of participants in the event to 1,500, according to Caroline Wilkes of Merrick, a Forever 9 volunteer spokeswoman. Wilkes said that this year's event raised $46,000, $11,000 more than last year.
Jonathan Cuomo, 16, of Shirley, finished first overall with a time of 17 minutes, 26 seconds, and Daniel Gidasi, 17, of Merrick, took second in 17:53. In the women's division, Marline Mignau, 38, of North Merrick, finished first, in 19:55, and Heather Stein, 39, of Bay Shore, was second in 22:04.
Robbie¹s Run appears to have taken on a life of its own. The Levines made sure to include plenty of fun activities for kids outside Levy-Lakeside's main entrance, including inflatable rides and a magic show. The event's main sponsors included Coleman Family Day Camps. Robbie was a camper at Coleman in Merrick. George, Marla and Ross Coleman, the camp's owners, were on hand at the finish line to watch runners come in. The New York City-based C-Bass also provided support.
In a prepared statement, Craig and Jill Levine said, "Thanks to our generous sponsors and tireless volunteers. This annual fund-raiser is what will help the foundation reach its goals. We don't want this to happen to any other family, and feel this event and our DVD are excellent vehicles to express that."
More information about Forever 9-The Robbie Levine Foundation is available at www.robbielevinefoundation.org.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
