Gershow Joins Legislator Calarco and Play for Peace Sponsors in Presenting $2,000 Check to Long Island Head Start in Patchogue
Pictured: Gershow Recycling and other sponsors of the eighth annual Play for Peace/Jugando Por La Paz Soccer Tournament are seen here presenting a check for $2,000 to Long Island Head Start in Patchogue. Front row (left to right): Dawn Turnball, Vice President, Bridgehampton National Bank; Eliana Fernandez, Volunteer, Play for Peace Soccer Tournament; Gail Schafer, Board Member, Play for Peace Soccer Tournament Committee; Jerry Bonfiglio; Pastor, Church of the Nazarene and Board Member, Play for Peace Soccer Tournament Committee; Jonathan Abrams, Manager, Gershow Recycling; Robert Calarco, Suffolk County Legislator; Lina Ortiz, Center Manager, Long Island Head Start in Patchogue; and Vagira Seedeen, Branch Manager, Suffolk County Federal Credit Union. Also pictured (back row, l-r): John Baum, Volunteer, Play for Peace Soccer Tournament; William Shilling, Legislative Aide, Office of Suffolk County Deputy Presiding Officer Robert Calarco; Richard Margulis, Chief Executive Officer, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital; Kevin St. Jean, Employee, Suffolk County Federal Credit Union and Volunteer, Play for Peace Soccer Tournament; Ana Figueroa (back row, fourth from right), Manager, Long Island Head Start; and Rina Marroquin (back row, third from right), Manager, LI Division, Healthfirst; and Toni Dean (front row, right), Member, Board of Directors, Long Island Head Start. They are joined by Play for Peace board members, other sponsors and Head Start staff members.
On October 7, Gershow Recycling joined sponsors and participants of the eighth annual Play for Peace/Jugando Por La Paz Soccer Tournament at Long Island Head Start in Patchogue to present the school with a check in the amount of $2,000. The funds came from money that was raised during the soccer tournament through sponsorships and donations.
This year, Gershow sponsored and donated $2,000 to help defray the costs of putting on the soccer tournament, which was held August 13 at the Patchogue-Medford Youth Soccer Complex in Medford. Gershow also had a team in the tournament participating in the Men’s Division.
The goals of Play For Peace are to bring together diverse nationalities within the community for a full day of World Cup-style soccer and to use sports as a way for people from different ethnic backgrounds to find common ground. The tournament was first organized in 2009 through the office of then-Legislator Jack Eddington in conjunction with the Patchogue-Medford Youth Soccer League as a response to the Marcelo Lucero tragedy. In 2011, when Legislator Rob Calarco was elected, he carried on the tradition of presenting the tournament.
The mission of Long Island Head Start is to provide a comprehensive learning environment to children, respectful of their culture, and to assist families in reaching self-sufficiency through the combined efforts of parents, community, and staff. The donation will be used to support local programs.
