Community leaders, coaches and volunteers will gather later this month to celebrate the people who have helped shape youth athletics in Glen Cove during the fifth annual Glen Cove Youth Recreation Dinner, a fundraising event supporting local sports programs and facilities.
The event will take place on March 19, at 6 p.m. at the Crescent Beach Club, located at 333 Bayville Ave. in Bayville. Tickets are $125 per person and include dinner and an open bar. Raffles will also be sold during the evening. Proceeds from the fundraiser support youth sports programs and improvements to recreation facilities across the city.
The dinner was co-founded by City Councilman Kevin Maccarone and the city’s head of the Department of Youth Services and Recreation shortly after Spiro Tsirkas became director. Tsirkas said the idea came from a conversation about how to recognize the many residents who have devoted their time to coaching, organizing and supporting youth sports.
“The concept and the thought came about five years ago when now, before he was in councilman, Kevin Macaron and I sat down when I moved into this position and we wanted to find a way to try and honor people in the community that have given back to a particular sport and or youth sports in the city of Glen Cove,” Tsirkas said.
The event is organized with the help of the Friends of the Glen Cove Youth Board, which serves as the department’s fundraising arm. According to Tsirkas, the money raised is reinvested directly into local recreation programs.
“We’ve raised some really good money that goes directly back into our recreational facilities, but in the form of equipment, uniforms, field maintenance or upgrades, and just basically giving back and helping the city so we have the best facilities possible,” he said.
This year’s honorees represent a wide range of youth sports programs in Glen Cove. Those being recognized include Dan Mariano for baseball and softball; Tip Henderson for golf; Kerry Catanzano, posthumously, for junior basketball; Joe and Lisa Marconi for junior football and cheer; Scott and Jessy Kaff, posthumously, for junior lacrosse; Paul Dennis, posthumously, for junior soccer; Jerry Cornelis for lifetime achievement; and Susan Discala as parent volunteer of the year.
Local sports leaders say the dinner has become an important opportunity to recognize the volunteers who help sustain the city’s youth leagues while also supporting improvements to athletic facilities.
“A couple of years ago, Spiro founded these dinners, and it’s been a good way to get families together and to honor past and present, and people that have given back to our community, to our leagues and to our sports,” said Peter Cappiello, president of the Glen Cove Baseball and Softball Association.
Funds raised through the event have contributed to several improvements at local fields, including renovations to backstops and installation of new scoreboards.
“We’ve done now five backstops with three that are going to be done this year,” Cappiello said. “So we’ll have renovated all eight backstops down there. We’ve brought new scoreboards down. So it’s been a lot of progress.”
For Cappiello, the effort reflects the strong community ties that youth sports create.
“I played on these very fields,” he said. “Sports have given me everything in life that I could ever ask for.”
City Councilman John Perrone said the dinner highlights the spirit of collaboration that supports Glen Cove’s recreation programs.
“This fantastic event actually shows how a community can come together for a common goal — the youth of our community,” Perrone said. “This is a testament to the resolve of our community and all the volunteers that coach, commit and foster the youth. Our recreation department has been instrumental in the success. It’s my honor to still be involved and work with our recreation commission.”
Tickets can be purchased by emailing kfoster@glencoveny.gov.
