Music festival at Allegria Hotel to support mental health and recovery

Long Island Reach, a community-based nonprofit organization, is set to host a “Rock for Recovery and A Little Blues and Jazz Music Festival” on Oct. 17, on the roof of the Allegria Hotel.

The event will raise funds for the organization’s mental health and substance-abuse treatment programs. It will begin at 7 p.m., and offer attendees an evening of live music, food and drinks.

“We have a great lineup,” Scott Nigro, chair of Long Island Reach’s board of directors and the lead singer of one of the bands, F.O.G., wrote in an email. “We’re really excited to have these great musicians, Steve Adelson, Kerry Kearney, Frank Bellucci and Andy Rossi, as well as my own band, F.O.G., who are donating their time and talents to helping Reach continue in its mission to provide a broad range of rehabilitative and treatment services to youth and their families throughout Nassau County.”

Featured bands include Super Sticktet, led by Long Beach jazz and rock icon Adelson, who will perform alongside blues guitarist Kearney and  drummer Frank Bellucci. Also performing are Rossi, a Long Beach favorite, and F.O.G., a local  classic rock band.

Tickets for the event are $100, which includes admission, food and beverages, with all proceeds going to support the organization’s services for those impacted by substance abuse and mental health challenges. In-formation on tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the event — as well as donations, for those who can’t attend — is available at Long Island Reach’s website, longislandreach.org.

“Our idea was pretty simple: to bring the community together to ‘rock out’ for recovery,” Nigro, a Long Beach attorney and a former City Council member, said. “A special night filled with fun, rock ’n’ roll, blues and jazz tunes that everyone will know, all to aid Reach’s mission to build healthy lifestyles through substance abuse and mental health counseling.”

Long Island Reach was founded in 1970, and inthe decades since has grown into a multi-service agency that offers a wide range of rehabilitative and treatment services for young people and their families. With main offices in Long Beach and satellite offices in Franklin Square and Port Washington, the group offers outpatient chemical dependency and mental health treatment, counseling, an alternative education program and juvenile justice projects. It helps people of all ages manage issues like depression and anxiety as well.

According to its website, every two days, three Long Islanders die of drug overdoses.

The organization coordinates juvenile justice projects witih its Court Liaison Unit and Reach for Peace, which support young people in the legal system, focusing on rehabilitation and helping them avoid future legal problems.

Its alternative education program takes place at the Harriet Eisman Community School, an alternative high school in Long Beach named after a former Long island Reach executive director. It helps students who have struggled in traditional schools earn high school diplomas, offering both academic and emotional support.

Additionally, an adolescent pregnancy-prevention and services program provides education and resources for young mothers before and after childbirth, helping them navigate the challenges of pregnancy and early motherhood.

Reach’s fees are based on the services provided, with a sliding scale to ensure affordability for those of all income levels. No one is refused services due to inability to pay, and insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare, is accepted.

For more information on the Rock for Recovery event, to purchase tickets, or to explore sponsorship options, visit longislandreach.org/rock-for-recovery, or call (516) 889-2332.