Farmingdale Boy's Memory To Be Honored On National Hot Dog Day

FARMINGDALE, NY — With National Hot Dog Day right around the corner, hot dog fans from all over the country will be indulging their cravings. However, the day will also serve as a platform for the memory of one young hot dog fan to be honored.

Joseph Hoehn, of Farmingdale, passed away in 2016 at the age of 12 after a battle with congenital heart disease. There's no doubt he would have enjoyed National Hot Dog Day on Wednesday, July 17, based on a press release from Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE).

FREE, in a partnership with KiDS NEED M♥RE, will be celebrating Hoehn's life at Saddle Rock Ranch in Middle Island from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on July 17. The tribute will be led by his mother Kathy Birch, who now provides grief counseling to families in a similar situations. Hoehn was a sibling of current campers at a summer camp dedicated to children who are battling cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as their brothers and sisters.

FREE is partnering with KiDS NEED M♥RE by donating use of Saddle Rock Ranch to the agency for their summer camp. KiDS NEED M♥RE provides services to families who have children with cancer and other serious illnesses. The summer camp runs for three weeks and hosts children with cancer and other serious illnesses and their siblings, ages 4 to 16 years old. The staff is comprised wholly of volunteers who are either family members, or survivors, who use their life experiences to help the children battle their affliction.