P’ville Football Lends Helping Hand to Sandy Victims

When news had reached Tony Becerra about the devastation that ruined much of Breezy Point during Hurricane Sandy, the Pleasantville football head coach knew his team could offer a hand.

The Queens neighborhood felt much of the super storm’s unmerciful wrath–rushing floodwaters that were chest high overtook countless homes, and to make matters worse, a windswept fire during the height of the storm engulfed part of the area, burning more than 100 homes to the ground.

With the urge to help hurting communities, Becerra called Rich Hartman, the parent of a Pleasantville player and active member of Habitat for Humanity. The two men had the same idea to assist victims.

“When the devastation down at Breezy Point reached everyone, it was a no-brainer, really,” Becerra said.

While Pleasantville escaped with comparatively limited damage a month after the historic storm, communities like Breezy Point will take months, if not years, to recover. On Nov. 17 players, coaches and parents trekked there and worked all day in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity to help suffering families.

Last Friday, another group of players gave up the day after Thanksgiving to go to hard hit Gerritsen Beach, a neighborhood in southern Brooklyn, which has received little attention but had its share of suffering residents devastated by unprecedented flooding.

At that location, the players helped a 75-year-old veteran clear out his house, removing 80 bags containing nearly all of his possessions. The man told Hartman “my life is on the street.”

“It’s kind of amazing how we thought we got hit hard,” said wide receiver Greg Drillock, a junior. “Well, in New York City, in Gerritsen Beach, in Breezy Point and Rockaway they lost houses, they lost cars and they lost family.”

Meeting at Pleasantville High School shortly after sunrise on the day of the trip to Breezy Point, the team rode by bus to the hurricane ravaged area. Once they reached their destination, everyone got to work.

The players were divided into three groups and given the responsibility of doing demolition work–clearing out debris from basements from homes in the area.

For players like Hartman’s son, Joey, the work was exhausting but rewarding. Along with helping a community in desperate need, the senior lineman got another chance to spend time with teammates, less than two weeks after their season ended.

“I was hoping we could get another chance for that because I love spending time with my teammates,” he said. “Ever since we lost to Lourdes, I was hoping we could do that and we finally got that chance and we did it for a great cause.”

Becerra said what the players experienced gave them a clear picture of the hurricane’s terrifying impact on thousands of New York and New Jersey residents. While power outages were the biggest concern for most in Westchester, residents in Breezy Point no longer had homes to return to. Flood waters in Gerritsen Beach destroyed cars and severely damaged houses.

“What you see on T.V. can’t do justice when you’re there in person,” Becerra said.

It’s not the first time Pleasantville football has been involved in helping a community. Two years ago, the team traveled to Yonkers, also through Habitat for Humanity, to help rebuild a home. Last year, the team worked with United for the Troops, an organization that sends boxes of supplies to troops overseas.

Becerra said he made sure to tell the players before they got off the bus upon returning to Pleasantville that the off-the-field teamwork “made a difference in someone’s life today.”

“It was unreal,” said Joey Hartman, who went both days. “Going down there I didn’t know what to expect and after talking with a few of the people I could see how upset they were and how much we touched them because after all the hard work we put in we really made them happy. I feel great about myself.”

Red Oak Transportation donated the bus to Breezy Point, Anthony Merante, a CPA, donated 16 boxes of contractor bags and businesses such as the Thornwood ShopRite, Berger Hardware, Thornwood Ale House, Foley’s and members of the school community also pitched in.

Drillock said he’s hopeful more Pleasantville residents get involved to help those who continue to struggle from Hurricane Sandy.

“We should volunteer more, not just the Pleasantville football team but the whole community should volunteer more and realize just how grateful we are,” he said.

For residents interested in helping out, contact Rich Hartman at richheart7@yahoo.com.