When devastation hit the community he calls home, Long Beach-based musician Ben Metzger took matters into his own hand.
Alongside “Broadcasting on the Beach with Halftime Howie,” host Howie Appel and friend Steve Vaccaro, Metzger led a series of benefits for the people of Long Beach, collecting food, clothing and monetary donations through his biggest passion -- music. Their largest event yet, a "Long Live Long Beach" relief concert filled Mulcahy's Pub & Concert Hall of Wantagh Wednesday evening with nearly 20 local music acts.
"When Sandy hit, personally, I was not as effected as everyone else," said Metzger, who moved to the west end of Long Beach in 2007. "The town is obviously devastated. Something like 85 percent of the people took a huge hit. We've always helped charities, the Polar Bears, the Waterfront Warriors, all sorts of things and we knew we wanted to do benefits."
With their work, Metzger said they are not only fundraising, but really brightening the lives of those impacted by a true tragedy.
"We lift spirits and help people smile again," he explained. "We help people have fun. A lot of musicians have been looking to me for places to play and I like to create these situations. All of these things have stopped in Long Beach, but we're finding opportunities post-Sandy. People need that feeling, to feel that something is back to normal."
Long Beach resident Liz Nachman also took part in Wednesday's benefit in Wantagh selling "Rebuild the Beach" products including bracelets, tees and tanks on behalf of her son, Geoffrey Noss.
A sophomore at the University of Albany, Noss started a Facebook page called "Rebuild the Beach."
"We're using the money to purchase gift cards from local merchants," Nachman said. "We're trying to keep the money in town, in Long Beach. Once purchased, they go to the social worker at the high school and she distributes them to so many families in need."
Christine Lopez, a representative for Criterium Tauscher Cronacher Engineers of Baldwin, one of the concert's most supportive sponsors, said the rebuilding of Long Beach is something they hold close to their hearts.
"We do a lot for the Long Beach community," said Lopez. "We work with the community and its organizations. We want it to get back to what it was, even better than what it was."
