Committee gearing up for St. Patrick’s Parade

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The Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Parade Committee has held a number of fundraisers in the last year to raise money for charities in anticipation of the parade on Saturday, March 23.

Like every year, the kickoff event was held at RJ Daniels in October, the annual Taste of Rockville Centre was held in January and the CJs Breakfast will be held on March 10. A new fundraising was also held this year; “Elf Yourself,” the December attempt to break the world record for most elves in a single place.

According to St. Patrick’s Parade Board Member Chaterine Muscente, the committee has raised $718,000 in its first 16 years of existence, distributed to 48 different charities.

Muscente said that this year, the parade committee has chosen three charities to donate to. The local charity is the Jillian E. Daly Foundation, created by a Rockville Centre family in memory of their daughter who died of an autoimmune disorder known as warm hemolytic anemia.

There are more than 23 million Americans affected by autoimmune diseases, according to a release from the parade committee. The Daly Foundation funds research into what triggers these autoimmune responses and to develop less toxic methods of treatment than are currently available.

The national charity the committee chose, Muscente said, is the Greater New York Chapter of the ALS Association. This charity’s mission is to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, through research and treatment. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease where the motor neurons connecting from the brain to the spinal cord die, leading to paralysis and death. More than 30,000 people in America live with ALS, and as of now, there is no known cause or cure.

The third charity is Crosscare, a social care agency of the Dublin Archdiocese that provides services at more than 30 locations throughout the Greater Dublin area. According to the release, Crosscare helps the homeless, addresses the needs of young people and develops community-driven services.

“The parade’s board of directors takes great care and exercises tremendous due diligence in selecting our three charities every year, as it is the most important thing we will do that year,” said Kathleen Schwarting, parade committee president. “This year we are extremely proud once again of the high quality of the three charities we will be supporting.”

Thomas Glynn, Jr., owner and manager of the Thomas A Glynn & Son Funeral home, will perform the duties of the Grand Marshal of the 17th annual Rockville Centre St. Patrick’s Parade.

To learn more about the parade, upcoming events, merchandise and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.rvcstpatrick.com.