The city of boardwalk festivals and polar bear dips is hosting a beachside vacation for wounded military veterans who crave a little lounging along with their athletic pursuits.
To salute service members who have traumatic injuries, Long Beach has teamed up with the Wounded Warrior Project to invite 18 to 20 soldiers and their families from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2.
Calling the program Long Beach Waterfront Warriors, volunteers, with help from the city, are planning a welcome parade, boat rides, biking on the boardwalk, and for those who want it, some down time on the shore.
The idea is to "spend a weekend on the beach, where there is no pressure to perform," said city Councilman
John McLaughlin, who is spearheading the event.
I'm not going to make you get on a Jet Ski," said Wounded Warrior Project volunteer ambassador Paul Hastings, adding that this visit may be the first trip to the ocean for some of the veterans. "It's the first such program in Nassau, where wounded troops have been invited to people's homes for rest and relaxation."
More than 50 people attended a meeting at city hall last week to coordinate the visit. Organizers said they had a list of at least 125 volunteers who have offered to raise funds, prepare food, or house guests. A retired firefighter even stopped McLaughlin on the street and tried to fork over $100 in cash for the cause. (The councilman asked him to come to a meeting instead.)
"You come to a nice beach town at the height of summer and you see this tide of people saying, 'What can I do?' " McLaughlin said. "It's a nice way to pay back the soldiers."
The city is lending support with logistics, including transportation and lifeguard assistance, he said.
McLaughlin, also a retired firefighter, got the idea from the Graybeards, a Rockaway Beach nonprofit that has hosted an annual water sports festival for wounded warriors since 2004.
Over the past few months, volunteers have recruited local merchants to donate meals and provide hotel rooms accessible to those with disabilities.
Alan Adams, 46, one of several residents who have opened their homes to lodge wounded warriors, said he's hoping to host a family with children close to his son's ages - 13 and 17.
Adams, who owns Sugo Cafe on West Park Avenue, is putting his restaurateur skills to work planning a bayside luau.
"With the people of Long Beach, how friendly and how tight-knit the community is, I thought it was a natural fit," he said.
At the meeting, Sarah Nichols, who heads a local Girl Scout troop, said its five members donated $100 raised from selling cookies, and they're ready to pitch in when the weekend arrives.
"I think it's an important experience for them," Nichols said. "So that they can look outside of themselves and know there's a lot going on."
