By: Hector Flores
Koebel quickly befriended the little girl, and by the end of the trip, they had exchanged e-mails. Lopez's mother, Karla, invited Koebel to spend the summer with them the following year. So in July of 2002, Koebel paid a visit to her friend.
During the visit, Koebel was introduced to a charity group called the Space Camp, which organizes parties for children stricken by cancer. "Karla was involved with the group," said Koebel. "And I attended a party with Jacqueline called Christmas in July, and we had a great time."
When Koebel returned to North Bellmore, she was touched by what she had witnessed in Florida, and she wanted to bring that same joy to other kids suffering from cancer. First she tried contacting The Make a Wish Foundation in New York, but she never got a reply from the group. Despite that small road block, she couldn't forget her summer experience, and began telling her friends about Christmas in July and that she was interested in hosting a similar program on Long Island.
"I told my friends what I wanted to do, and they said that I should do it and that they would help me," Koebel said.
After a great deal of work to arrange the party, the event was held last July, and everyone involved had a great time. Koebel's efforts in helping children with cancer were recently recognized by the Town of Hempstead. She was one of 12 town residents awarded medals at the seventh annual Make a Difference Award Ceremony at Hempstead Town Hall.
In organizing the party, Koebel and her friends called many parks and roller-skating rinks to find a location for the get-together. She finally got in touch with a representative of the Cow Meadow Park in Freeport, and was told that she needed $100 for the permit to secure a section of the park for her event.
Koebel and her mother, Denise, then ran a newspaper ad for volunteers and began raising money for the event in front of Stop & Shop in North Bellmore. They eventually garnered support from the local Girl Scout troop, which began helping with fund-raising for the effort.
"By the time I had my Christmas in July party, a friend of mine, Jina, agreed to do magic tricks at the party, and the local Brownie troop paid for a clown to visit the park," Koebel said. "There were about a dozen kids, all in remission, and it was very nice. The next one I'll have will be held indoors at the Veterans of Foreign War hall, which was donated to me" by the veterans.
Koebel is already planning ways to bring joy to children in need during her next Christmas in July party.
"I'm already buying the Christmas decorations for next year," Koebel said. "And last Thursday, we dropped off some Christmas presents at the Downstate Hospital in Brooklyn that treats cancer kids. I am also collecting toys for the hospital's play room, which is currently empty. I'm just going to surprise them and fill it up with toys."
