Rockville Centre residents give back to their neighbors

Rockville Centre was very lucky when Hurricane Sandy hit. There were trees down and power outages, but the village was spared the devastation that other South Shore communities faced.

Many residents realized this. In an effort to give back to neighboring communities that were severely damaged by Sandy, the RVC Foundation was formed.

To help residents of the village, there is the Rockville Centre Community Fund. But due to its bylaws, the Community Fund is strictly for Rockville Centre residents. The RVC Foundation, a 501c3, was created to help those outside the village.

“Once things settled down in Rockville Centre and the village was up and running, the mayor and a group of residents came together and we realized we wanted to help our neighbors,” said Mary Beth Croutier, one of the founders of the foundation. “Not just with food and lanterns and things like that, we wanted to offer financial support in some way.”

To date, the RVC Foundation has raised approximately $38,000 and distributed much of it to about 12 families in Oceanside, Island Park, Freeport, Bell Harbor and Long Beach. The money goes to help families rebuild and refurnish their homes.

In order to help the families even more, the foundation will be having its first fundraising event at Kasey’s, at 23 North Park Avenue in Rockville Centre, on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission is $20 at the door and goes directly to the foundation. The evening includes food, a silent auction, raffle prizes and a Super Bowl Pool.

Those who can’t attend but still wish to donate can make out a check to The RVC Foundation and mail it to P.O. Box 1044, Rockville Centre, N.Y., 11571. For more information about the RVC Foundation, email RVCFoundation@rvcny.us.