Youth Sports Fundraiser Coming to Long Island

Riverhead, NY, November 15, 2019 – A group of Long Islanders who have used sports to inspire youth and improve their communities will be feted at the WVI Dolphin Foundation’s Spirit of Youth Sports Awards next Thursday at Riverhead’s Residence Inn Long Island-East End. The gala event, hosted by Hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine, is a fundraiser to help provide more opportunity for young people of any ability level to find positive experiences and role models on the field of play.

The honorees include:

• Alexis Moed of Syosset; founder and coach of New York Islanders Girls Elite Hockey
• Bridget Tartaglia of Rocky Point; basketball coach at Infant Jesus CYO and law partner at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP
• Andreas Lindberg of Southampton; founder of Southampton Soccer Club and head coach at Seton Hall University
• Alaine Robbins of Smithtown; director and coach of Dynamics Baton Twirling Organization
• Frank Zitaglio of Rocky Point; General Manager of Baseball Heaven in Yaphank

In addition, there will be a “Special Achievement in Youth Sports Award” given to Paul Sibblies, the Wyandanch High School Principal who spearheaded that district’s massive fundraising drive to save its high school athletic program and provide a much needed alternative to the area’s disadvantaged youth. That presentation will be made by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

“The magic of the evening comes from the individual stories,” said Jeremiah Schnee, founder and co-chair of the WVI Dolphin Foundation. “As a child, Alexis Moed had to play hockey with the boys and wanted better for this generation, Bridget Tartaglia is a powerful attorney and role model who can’t stop teaching lessons on the basketball court, Andreas Lindberg – a successful college soccer coach – still believes sports can define a community, Alaine Robbins has given her life to a niche sport and helped make Long Island a competitive baton twirling hotbed, Frank Zitaglio spent 30 years dividing his time between fighting fires and officiating every game he could before taking over the reins of one of the region’s finest sports facilities, and Paul Sibblies called on his own past as a young athlete made good to make sure his students would not be denied the same opportunity. Among them, they cover various sports, roles, and age groups, but their common bond is that each of them represents the best in community sports and each will be remembered by the impact they’ve had on others.”

The WVI Dolphin Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization engaged in a “Sports for Good” initiative, sought nominees from all corners of the industry and from a wide variety of sports in its effort to showcase adults who are modeling positive behavior and introducing practices in the best interest of youth sports families. The Long Island based honorees have each demonstrated an ongoing commitment to use sports to improve their communities and to enrich the lives of boys and girls in their charge.

The 2019 Spirit of Youth Sports Awards gala will include a cocktail reception, dinner, awards ceremony, celebrity keynote, and auction. Proceeds of the event will benefit the WVI Dolphin Foundation’s Sports for Good program The event is open to the public and tickets can be purchased through Event Brite or at www.wvievents.com.

About WVI Dolphin Foundation

The WVI Dolphin Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, exists to inspire Legacy Families to pivot toward “give back” – wherein they can utilize their prestige, wealth, and power to make a disproportionate impact to uplift culture and the human condition. Our mission is to channel the funds raised to worthy early stage charities aligned with the Dolphin culture that support Veterans and Sports for Good Initiatives.

The WVI/LFC ecosystem is informed by our Dolphin Culture that encourages long-lasting, trust based relationships founded on integrity, community, and altruism.

For more info: https://www.wvievents.com/wvi-...