Beach 119

On October 29th, Rockaway Beach, NY was impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Thousands of homes flooded, the entire community lost power, and families were left to pick up the pieces with limited resources. After hearing about Issy Sanchez, a 35+ year veteran of the music industry, and his community on Beach 119th Street, Marcie Allen and the MAC Presents team decided to get involved. The families of Beach 119th Street still have a long road ahead to rebuild their homes and community. They need our help and support, we can make a difference one family at a time!

Get Involved

So far, over 500 people have donated over 100K in Home Depot gift certificates and monies to supply gas, food, water, clothing, and building supplies to the community as they rebuild. If you would like to support the recovery effort on Beach 119th Street please consider donating a Home Depot e-gift card by clicking here. Please email your e-gift card to marcie@macpresents.com

Thank you to everyone who donated a Boston Market Thanksgiving dinner. With your generous contributions, we were able to provide meals for over 550 people!

If you’re interested in adopting a family on Beach 119th Street, please email marcie@macpresents.com.

Everyone who donates $75 or more to the recovery effort will receive a free Rockaways Angel t-shirt.

Photos

Please take a minute to look at the photographs our friend Jon Heller shot of the community. He works with Annie Leibovitz and wanted to show the stories of the families affected by Sandy. He will continue to shoot over the next few weeks and months as the people of Rockaway make progress on their road to recovery. Please feel free to share the album on your social media pages.

Video

View the official trailer for the documentary short BEACH 119 here.

The poignant story follows a tribe of survivors from the Rockaway Peninsula in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. When the tides intruded and stripped this neighborhood of earthly possessions, its residents held tightly to their faith in humanity. The documentary short has been submitted for consideration to various 2013 spring film festivals.

The documentary short chronicles one street’s recovery while elsewhere everything is back to normal. Just 23.8 miles away from Manhattan, on Beach 119th Street in The Rockaways, neighbors joined together to deal with the trauma associated with cherished possessions lost. The residents were cut off from help with no power, water, gasoline or heat, for weeks after the storm. The documentary explores the story of the residents of Beach 119th Street coming together as a tribe of real life survivors, thankful to those who answered their pleas for help.

Executive Producers: Marcie Allen, Jessica Beutler, Nate Parienti
Directed By: Marcie Allen, Jessica Beutler
Edited By: Danny Clark, Eli Tishberg
Written By: Shannon Simpson Bevins
Photography By: Jon Heller
Music By: Cary Brothers

Press

Thank you to Ray Waddell and Billboard Magazine for bringing additional awareness to the crisis and recovery effort in the Rockaways with an amazing article about MAC’s efforts. Read the full article here.

Thank you to NYC artist Laura Loving (http://www.lauraloving.com), for spreading the word about Beach 119th Street Angels to her vast network in NYC. Read her newsletter here.

Thank you to Rhodes College for promoting our efforts and organizing NYC alumni to volunteer on Beach 119th Street. Read the full article here.

Thank you to the students, teachers and parents at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, TN who have raised over $1,600 for their adopted family on Beach 119th Street! Read the full article in the Tennessean here.

Thank You

First and foremost we would like to thank the people of Beach 119th Street – their smiling faces and humble resilience during this time of great adversity are truly inspiring. We are honored to walk and work beside them to get the job done!

Thank you to Jon Heller for capturing powerful and moving images of Beach 119th Street. http://www.facebook.com/jhellerphoto

Thank you to PEPSI for donating an entire semi truck of Propel and Gatorade for all the families on Beach 119th Street.

Thank you to Barry Cantrell for donating his web design services! http://www.lookatbarry.com

Thank you to Alison Slamon for donating her creative services! http://www.orangemorning.com

Thank you to Richards and Southern for donating the t-shirts http://www.richardsandsouthern.com

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting our efforts and for spreading the word. We have made incredible strides and are amazed by the overflowing generosity of others. We will make a difference one family at a time!

Contact

For more information about about Beach 119th Street, please contact Marcie Allen at marcie@macpresents.com