By Doug Miller
Few have grown as dramatically or given as generously as the one that honors the memory of firefighter Patrick O'Keefe of Rescue Company One, which last year gave out more than $20,000 in scholarships to area high school students.
The Oak Memorial Scholarship was founded by O'Keefe's sister, Noreen Costello of Lynbrook, who works in the City of Long Beach corporation counsel's office. There is just one fund-raiser each year, but it's a crackerjack effort: a regatta from Rockaway Inlet to Jones Beach inlet. It's grown each year, and ESPN has expressed interest in covering it.
The foundation names a scholarship winner and two honorable mentions. The 2004 winner received $16,000, paid out over four years. The two honorable-mention winners each received $4,000.
The winners are picked via an essay contest, and must meet one of two criteria. They either must have lost a parent to an act of violence or be a first-generation American making a fresh start in life. The child-of-violence essay makes sense, but why the other?
"It was an emotional decision," Costello said. "My brother's funeral went on for miles, as everyone's did. As we came out of the church, there were two Hispanic guys sobbing, sobbing, crying harder than anyone. I asked around and found out they worked with Pat at his construction job. One day they mentioned to him that they had never seen the ocean before, so on a Saturday he took them sailing.
"My brother did so much for people, so we decided to make the theme about starting over, for kids who lost a parent or for our newest Americans."
This year's winner is Allen Shayanfekr, a Jewish boy whose family fled the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979 and found itself stranded penniless in America, betrayed by kin and eventually, abandoned by the boy's abusive father. Allen grew up in Roslyn living on welfare, but taught himself English and started working 30 hours a week by age 14. As a high school junior, he held two jobs while attending school and now continues to work full time in preparation of attending NYU in the fall. He graduated with a 3.3 GPA and scored an 1,100 on his SATs.
In his application essay, he wrote "if I am fortunate enough to win the O'Keefe scholarship, I will use it to further my education and in the future be able to help someone the same way you would be helping me."
The next Spirit Rider Regatta will be held off Long Beach's shores on Patriot's Weekend, Sept. 8-10. Tickets for the preferred viewing stand on National Boulevard are available, and donations are welcome. There is a reception and dinner for the captains and crews Sept. 8 at the West End Fire House. The racers will muster at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 9, and the race will begin at 11. Spectators will gather for coffee, donuts and clam chowder under the tent at National.
That night there will be an awards dinner at Lido Golf Club, and the next morning, Sunday, Sept. 10, Mass will be celebrated on the beach at 9:30 a.m. followed by brunch at the Ocean Club in Atlantic Beach.
For ticket or sponsorship information, call (516) 662-0485.
Comments about this story? DMiller@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
