YES to Hold April Fundraiser at Nutty Irishman

For more than 35 years, YES Community Counseling Center has been getting by with a little help from their friends and they're neighbors to lend a hand to raise funds to aid in their post-Sandy projects.

The Massapequa-based non-profit, which recently opened a new location in Levittown, is planning an April 13 concert at the Nutty Irishman in Farmingdale.  

"This is a first for us," said YES Director Jamie Bogenshutz of the day of music which is a departure from some of the organization's other fund-raising efforts such as their Taste of the Town event. 

Donors will have quite a show for their $35 admission price. Four Long Island-based bands, Chunky, Echo Hill, Lil' Cliff and the Cliffhangers and No Request Band will perform at the event, titled "With a Little Help From Our Friends," from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tickets are available at the YES website.

The money will go towards programs such as YES' drug and alcohol counseling, domestic violence prevention as well as family counseling.

The fundraiser comes at a time when the community is very much in need in the aftermath of Sandy and YES is dealing with the loss of some county funding.

"We're crazy," Bogenshutz said," when asked how busy things have been. "We're still dealing funding issues, we've had about 65 percent restored, and the fundraiser helps us bring in more revenue."

YES has received a grant from the Robin Hood Fund for an initiative called Project Hope.

"We're sending disaster response counselors to visit every home in Massapequa and Seaford," Bogenshutz said.

Starting with the hard hit areas of the region south of Merrick Road, the counselors will check on the well being of residents ad offer support and crisis counseling.

YES also has established a food pantry and has a truck stocked with clothing and supplies on hand at their headquarters at 75 Grand Avenue in Massapequa.
Although it's been several months since the hurricane, there are still people in need according to Bogenshutz.

She urges anyone in the area who needs help to contact YES if they need help or need somebody to talk to.