Hamptons Businessman Hosts Community Event To Support Local Service Members Currently Serving Overseas

Southampton businessman Rocco A. Carriero hosted a community event at the Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School in support of local service members currently serving overseas on Thursday, January 10, 2013. Southampton Town Councilman Christopher Nuzzi showed his support at the event where members of “Friends of the 106 Rescue Team” from Gabreski Air Force base in Westhampton Beach spoke to students and faculty about their community work and commitment to supporting members of the 106th and their families.

Rocco A. Carriero and Southampton Town councilman Christopher Nuzzi. (Photo: Nicole Barylski)

Carriero, whose daughter attends the Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School, was thrilled to be able to support the”Friends of the 106 Rescue Team”. Carriero, a contributor to Hamptons.com is a Private Wealth Advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Southampton, said, “We want them to know our community is thinking about them every single day and we are so grateful that we have them right here in our backyard. Westhampton. This is just a small token of appreciation to the service men and women to share our thanks to let them know that we are thinking about them.”

Councilman Nuzzi was happy to be a part of the event recognizing the local servicemen, “I am especially proud of our Air Guard who serve right here in our own backyards. A great thank you to Dr. Masera and the school for their participation in this event and in particular Rocco and all the work that he and his staff have done to organize this.” He continued, “It brings awareness to our troops who are based here, right at home. It does something nice for them and recognizes them for their service and their work. It’s a way to say thank you through the kids sending care packages and cards. I am so happy and proud to be here today.”

During the assembly children were shown a slideshow with previous missions of the 106 Rescue Team followed by a question and answer session with members of the 106 Rescue Team. The kids were delighted with the opportunity to find out more about the 106th and had a plethora of questions including the precocious, “So…. What’s your job?” One of the more recent missions of the 106 Rescue Team was to help with the recovery from Superstorm Sandy. They were deployed throughout the Tri-State area to provide support for those affected by the storm including going door to door checking for senior citizens who did not have heat as well as provide vital survival items like blankets.

Jo Ann Fleischmann, Barbra Merker, Michele Nadeau, Nicole Chance, Rocco A. Carriero, Matthew Liguori, and Michael Barrie. (Photo: Nicole Barylski)

Following the assembly children were given the opportunity to stuff care packages for members of the 106 Rescue Wing who are currently serving overseas. Racing around the room children stuffed the packages with cards decorated by the children and a variety of items like Tate’s cookies, North Fork Potato Chips, and other snacks and items.

Getting the care packages stuffed and sent overseas was truly a community outreach of support. J. Tortorella Pools and Dellapolla Landscaping helped sponsor the event and after finding out the Resmsenburg Post Office would be unable to deliver the care packages, the Calverton Post Office stepped in to volunteered their truck. Barbra Merker and Michele Nadeau from the Calverton Post Office picked up the care packages at the Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary to start their long journey overseas.