Story by Steve Fiorentine.
Long Beach’s strong community ties have remained intact after Hurricane Sandy. Across the city, people from all walks of life continue to host a wide range of fundraiser events, from t-shirt sales to benefit evenings, in order to aid recovery efforts.
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One of them is Howie Appel, host of the radio show “Broadcasting on the Beach with Halftime Howie,” which airs each Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on AM 1240 WGBB. Appel, along with his friends Steve Vaccaro and Long Beach musician Benoir, will host a series of fundraisers called “Be Strong Beach,” in an effort to raise money to put back into the Long Beach community.
“We’re all about giving money back to people and organizations in Long Beach that are really hurting,” Appel said.
Every Wednesday, he will broadcast live from a different location in Long Beach, turning his radio show into a weekly fundraiser. Each event will take place from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., with Appel broadcasting live during his normal radio time slot. Through these events so far, Be Strong Beach has donated money to the Long Beach Relief Fund and to the Long Beach and Oceanside VFWs.
This Wednesday, the show will broadcast live at the Long Beach VFW, at 675 W. Park Ave., and will feature live music, a raffle collection and t-shirts sales to benefit the Long Beach School District. Representatives from the Long Beach Toy drive will also be in attendance.
On Dec. 19, Be Strong Beach will host their biggest event at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $25 per person, with the proceeds going to Long Beach recovery efforts. For more information, go to Appel’s Facebook page or email him directly at halftimehowie33@aol.com.
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Meanwhile, Long Beach resident Geoffrey Noss has also channeled the city’s sense of community by raising money for the Long Beach School District through the sale of T-shirts and other apparel.
“I saw not a lot of people were doing anything for the school districts and more things were being done for families on Long Island,” Noss said. “I wanted to do something for the school district.”
Noss, a student at SUNY Albany and member of Long Beach High School’s Class of 2011, is selling “Rebuild the Beach” t-shirts, tank tops, and sweatshirts. All of the proceeds will go directly to the school district to help rebuild a classroom and to sponsor a scholarship for an LBHS senior.
A portion of the money will also go toward the purchase of gift cards from local Long Beach businesses to give to owners in order to help them keep the stores in town.
Noss credited his mother Liz Nachman and his friend Kate Lyne for helping him distribute the shirts while he was away at school. He also said that Maria Yaker, a social worker at LBHS, helped telling him what students needed.
Anyone interested in purchasing Rebuild the Beach apparel can visit the Rebuild the Beach event page on Facebook.
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