DECEMBER 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 13
THIS MONTH
TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE
The Hempstead Police Athletic League
Who else have you given to? The donations
that I made to Hofstra University,
that’s been an ongoing love affair that
I have with my alma mater. I updated
in February a locker room that I had
already donated to and established. We
did a major renovation. I had named
it in honor of my former coach Harry
Royale and my former teammate Vinny
Sombrotto, who went on to become one
of the greatest lacrosse players in the
history of the game. It’s a state-of-the-art
facility, in contrast to our locker room 40
years earlier that was like little tin-can
lockers compared to that.
Much of your giving this year involved
retired U.S. Army Col. E. David
Woycik Jr. Why is that? He and I played
together 40 years ago at Hofstra. He’s a
prominent Garden City attorney and
retired Army colonel. I decided to give
him a six-figure donation. In his honor,
he chose the charities, including America’s
VetDogs, Canine Companions for
Independence, and Big Brothers Big Sisters
of Long Island. Dave and I are very
close personal friends but I did not serve
in the military. I went to the U.S. Naval
Academy prep school for a year. He
served in Desert Storm. He did a couple
tours of duty and I really do admire that.
I think there’s no greater sacrifice than
going to war and defending the country.
I just wanted to honor my friend for his
service to the country.
How has the pandemic affected your
giving? During Covid I found that the
money is even more important to many
of these organizations and charities.
And I think because almost every industry,
with the exception of maybe hand
sanitizer companies, the vast majority
of companies and industries have been
negatively affected by Covid-19 — some
more than others.
What advice do you have for others
who are unsure if they should donate?
It’s hard to ask other people to do that.
I will say that it’s the greatest joy in my
life to be able to give back to the community.
When you can impact someone’s
life through which they derive benefit
or directly to individuals, when the
money makes a difference, I think it’s
one of the great feelings one can have.
I value people who lend their time and
energy, their sweat equity, if you will. I
admire that. I have been more inclined
to give financially. I think the older I get
the more important it has become to me.
Has being diagnosed with the coronavirus
changed your perspective on
giving? I’ve spent the better part of 12
days in bed. I lost my sense of taste, my
sense of smell. I’ve had no appetite. I’ve
been literally knocked-out exhausted.
It’s made me think about people who
are more vulnerable, have underlying
health conditions, and how we utilize
masks and social distancing to keep everyone
safe. I’m fortunate in that I think
I’m a young 60-year-old. I know that I had
a relatively mild case compared to all the
poor folks who’ve been on ventilators or
spent a significant amount of time in the
hospital. In terms of giving, it just makes
me more concerned for my fellow man.
Maybe I’ll focus on a giveback to the
medical community.
Anything else you want to add? I do
believe that my future focus will be on
veterans. We can’t do enough for those
folks.
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