Over 400 men enthusiastically welcomed Our Place to the Five Towns for the second year in a row on Wednesday, July 15, with a fabulous evening that more than lived up to its name: “The Ultimate Guys Night Out.”
The event featured incredible barbecue, sumptuous carving stations, a lavish selection of fine wines, and an extensive sushi buffet, but there was no doubt that the highlight of the night was a thrilling backyard volleyball tournament, where 16 teams vied passionately for the honor of taking home the win in the championship game.
While torrential rains battered the area all day long, skies brightened just in time for the event to kick off with a bang as doors opened at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Ushi and Esti Stahler in Lawrence. This incredible event was organized to benefit Our Place, enabling them to continue providing a vast array of services for troubled teens, including drop-in centers, twelve-step support groups, a 24-hour crisis hotline, numerous support and rehabilitative services, and vocational and educational placements.
“Our goal is to provide those who seek us out with a second chance, a non-judgmental and stable environment that will allow them to get the help they need and get their lives back on track,” said Rabbi Aryeh Young, director of Our Place. “Without Our Place, so many of these teens would end up in trouble with the law or turning to destructive habits. We have seen so many successes, but it takes community support to allow us to guide these troubled youths back on the right track and we are overwhelmed by the generosity and commitment that we have seen here in the Five Towns.”
The overwhelming success of the event was heavily attributed to the many corporate sponsors who partnered with Our Place for this year’s volleyball tournament. This year’s Main Event Sponsor was GFI Realty Services who generously sponsored all overhead associated with the event. Westwood Realty Associates was the gold sponsor of the evening with additional sponsors, including Silver Sponsors: Riverside Abstract, American Dream, Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, MYDA Advisors & Goldmont Realty, as well as Bronze Sponsors: Keren Capital Group, Gourmet Glatt, Rosenberg & Steinmetz PC, Eden Wok, and Herzog Wine Cellars.
Competition was fierce throughout the night as the father and son (in-law) tag team of Murray Huberfeld and Ezra Beren and their Manor Lane Bulldogs overpowered Don Ghermazian’s American Dream Team in the semi-finals to get to the championship game. On the other court, Avi Schwebel’s Cowboys overcame the defending champions, the Lobos, captained by event chairman, Asher Jungreis in an intense thriller, with much of the crowd cheering in excitement. The Bulldogs finally fell to Avi Schwebel’s Cowboys, which also took home championship honors at the Monsey Ultimate Guy’s Night Out one week earlier.
Fabulous raffle prizes included a Miami weekend getaway, a men’s custom suit and shirt package, dinner for two at Reserve Cut, Prime Bistro, and Upper Crust, box seats at Citi Field, tickets to a Knicks game, a ten-person Carlos & Gabby’s party, and a one-hour Swedish massage.
“It was a night that had the best of everything,” said event chairman Asher Jungreis. “The best food, the best wine, and the best guys from the New York area, who all came out for Our Place, which is the best of the best.”
“There are no words to describe everything that Our Place does for the many teens who walk through their doors each and every year,” added Ezra Beren. “The work that they do is invaluable and it is obvious by the number of people who turned out here tonight that people really appreciate the importance of their work. We are thrilled to be able to go all out for Our Place so that they can continue to do the incredible work that they do.”
Each year, Our Place services over 1,000 in-pain and at-risk youth each. Our Place operates two teen drop-in centers and a young-adult clean-and-sober program (The Living Room). Through its centers, Our Place serves as a hub for the at-risk community, offering nightly dinners, recreational programming, providing on-site therapists in the drop-in centers, and playing an active role in detox, rehab, therapy, and vocational placement. Our Place staff members are also on-call 24/7 to deal with legal crises, assist in cases of abuse, provide teen-pregnancy support, and intervene in cases of suicide and overdose. For so many at-risk teens and young adults, Our Place has become the “family” upon which they rely for unconditional love and support. For more information about Our Place’s services, please contact Rabbi Aryeh Young at 516-512-4494 or aryeh.young@ourplaceny.org.
