coronavirus long island

Young girls spreading 'cheer' to healthcare workers on Long Island

BySam Ryan WABC logo

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Young girls on LI spreading 'cheer' to healthcare workers

A group of young girls on Long Island are spreading cheer to healthcare workers by providing them free meals. A little cheer is something the group is quite familiar with.

LONG ISLAND (WABC) -- A group of young girls on Long Island are spreading cheer to healthcare workers by providing them free meals. A little cheer is something the group is quite familiar with.

From cheering in competition to cheering for heroes on the front lines, the Sachem 11s cheer team, which is made up of 29 10 and 11-year-old girls, do almost everything together. They also came up with an idea to help out healthcare workers together.

"They were trying to come up with an idea of something that they could sell to raise money, to send lunch to a friend who is also a member of the league, to send her lunch because she is a nurse just to kind of say thank you," said Sachem 11 Coach Lindsey Kolb.

It started with a bake sale, and that took off, so the group teamed up with a local restaurant owner, Mangiamo's in Ronkonkoma, to provide meals for healthcare workers on the front lines across Long Island.

"It just started with something so little, like let's make some cupcakes, and maybe a couple of our family members will just buy it," said coach Melanie Halloran

"I asked him if this is something he wanted to get involved in, and he was so appreciative - small businesses are hurting right now, and restaurants can only do takeout, so he was so on board and he's been so great," added Halloran.

Through the more the $14,000 raised in donations to date, and the help of Mangiamo's restaurant, the girls have been able to send meals to thousands of healthcare workers.

"I think it's about two thousand front line workers nurses and doctors and hospital workers, and almost every hospital on Long Island so far - over 21 hospitals and still going," said Halloran.

Kolb says meals have been going as far out east as Riverhead, and also into New Hyde Park and Queens.

The girls have been receiving thank you notes and pictures from healthcare workers across Long Island - some even striking a cheer pose. They see firsthand the impact they're making.

"It feels awesome to see that they appreciate what we're doing," said Juliette Kolb