July 11, 2015 was an amazing day full of memorable events. United Way of Long Island joined with the Islip Arts Council as they presented their annual free concert in the park, “Honor Our Hometown Heroes.” The day began with thousands of people coming from all over, dignitaries, Long Island residents, veterans, and military families, to enjoy the sounds of the Long Island Philharmonic and colorful Fireworks by Grucci. Throughout the day people placed themselves in strategic locations within the vast openness of East Islip’s Heckscher State Park in order to best enjoy the day’s festivities.
“Honor Our Hometown Heroes” was an event that was put together in order to show support to veterans. Over seventy United Way volunteers from an array of organizations and backgrounds donated their Saturday in order to sell an assortment of “Live United” t-shirts that were created to show support to Long Island’s military families. All of the proceeds from charitable donations and more were given back to these military families through the help of United Way of Long Island’s “Operation Live United.” As “Live United” t-shirts and bags were being sold the well-known Long Island Philharmonic played beautifully arranged songs as its audience sang the night away to the famous tunes.
From the fresh outdoor air to shaking hands with the people who help keep our country safe, to the wonderful sounding instruments and lastly fantastic Fireworks by Grucci Saturday was truly a beautiful display of people coming together from all walks of life to help a common cause.