Bump, set, spike!

The Michelle O'Neill Volleyball Tournament returns for its 19th year

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Almost everyone in Long Beach has a story about how supportive the community can be. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the years that have followed, neighbors helping neighbors, and coming together to support a good cause, is nothing unusual for residents.

But Carol O’Neil has witnessed that community spirit firsthand for the nearly 20 years she’s been organizing the annual Michelle O’Neill volleyball tournament, a benefit event that she said couldn’t have been as successful anywhere but Long Beach.

“I think the people here are just so compassionate to anyone who needs help,” O’Neill said. “No matter what their circumstances are they seem ready and willing to reach in and help. And if its not just monetary, certainly people also volunteer their time and network for causes.”

O’Neill is the founder of the Michelle O’Neill Foundation and the volleyball tournament of the same name, which raises money to help the families of children who are undergoing treatment for catastrophic diseases and special needs by providing financial assistance for the costs that insurance does not cover. The foundation is dedicated to the honor of Carol’s daughter, Michelle, who died of cancer in 1996 at age 24. This year’s event is set for Saturday, Sept. 12, at Laurelton Boulevard beach, beginning at 9 a.m.

Michelle didn’t play volleyball, Carol said, but was a fun loving and positive person that she felt embodied the spirit of the community. “Since Long Beach is such a volleyball town, my family thought that would be a fun way to carry on her personality,” O’Neill explained. “It’s one giant beach party,” she added. “There are many people that come down to enjoy the music and watch the games and enjoys themselves. It keeps the event so family oriented.”

Now in its 19th year, the tournament has evolved from a couple hundred competitors playing on 11 nets in 1997 to thousands of competitors and spectators packing the beach last year. O’Neill estimates 316 teams competed and raised $160,000 last year. Each year more and more teams sign up, O’Neill said, with competitors coming from as far away as Puerto Rico and California to play.

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