Fundraiser held for Farmingdale marching band

Members of Nassau County’s police unions and community members gathered at Mulcahy’s in Wantagh on Oct. 4 for a fundraiser to benefit the Farmingdale High School marching band, about two weeks after the band was involved in a deadly bus accident.

The fundraiser was a joint effort between the police unions and John Theissen of the John Theissen Children’s Foundation in Wantagh.

One of the buses carrying band members and staff to a band camp in Greeley, Pennsylvania, crashed and rolled over in Orange County on Sept. 21. Gina Pellettiere, the band director, and Beatrice Ferrari, a chaperone, were both killed. Dozens of students were hospitalized, although many have since been released and are still recuperating from their injuries.

“Thank God it’s not every day that we have an accident like this,” Bill Bourguignon, president of the Nassau County Detectives’ Association, said. “I felt the need for all of us to come together.”

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder contacted Theissen a week before the fundraiser, and asked if he could run the event. Ryder said Theissen is a great supporter of helping out whenever anyone is in need.

All of the police unions — the Superior Officers Association, the Detectives’ Association, the PBA, and the Correction Officers Benevolent Association — pitched in by publicizing the event on social media and soliciting or donating items for auction.

Once Ryder and the union presidents agreed to hold the fundraiser, they gathered for a one-hour roundtable discussion to put the event into motion. Bourguignon said he expected that they would need a couple more meetings, but somehow the event came together within a week.

Bourguignon credited Ryder for always doing the right thing, which included mobilizing the Nassau police to escort the Farmingdale families to Westchester to be with their children at the hospital, and to drive them back home. Ryder and his officers were also on hand at Farmingdale High School to organize the return of the buses on the night of the accident, even helping to take luggage off the buses.

Tickets for the fundraiser, which included a buffet and open bar, were sold in advance and at the door. The event raised additional funds by holding a live auction and a raffle auction.

A few steps inside the entrance to Mulcahy’s, Michael Kruter and his daughter, Taylor, sat behind a table selling “Daler Strong” T-shirts. With his wife, Kruter is the founder of Lifestyle Sports, which has been in business for 48 years, 32 of them in Wantagh. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts were also being donated to the marching band.

John Murray, owner of Mulcahy’s, said he has known Theissen for more than 30 years. Theissen is regarded as an expert at fundraising, having started his efforts with a local toy drive in 1992, and picking up momentum after 9/11. The two have worked together to host other fundraisers, and Murray has also hosted many for the police as well over the years. Murray, a lifelong resident of the Town of Hempstead, is uncomfortable with any attention and when given the opportunity to speak at the fundraiser, he immediately turned the microphone over to Theissen.

For the live auction, Theissen also provided a guitar signed by Taylor Swift, and a signed Taylor Swift album cover. The album, plus Mets VIP tickets, a stay in a South Carolina condo, and an Islanders ticket package brought in a total of around $4,000.

Kristina Leibold, an account manager for the Islanders, personally delivered the Islanders basket for the live auction. As a 2013 graduate of Farmingdale High School, she said she felt compelled to help in any way that she could. Along with her team at work, she was able to pull together the basket with a signed jersey and tickets to an Islanders game, which brought in $800 alone.

Jed Herman, principal of Farmingdale High School, also attended the fundraiser and thanked the community for the support.

“The outpouring of support is just overwhelming,” Herman said. “It really does restore your faith in humanity.”

As of the night of the fundraiser, all the teens injured in the crash had come home from the hospital, except for one.

“Let’s keep praying, ‘cause it works,” Herman said.