Community Corner

Good News: Reality Star to Take Kids on Shopping Spree

Some stories put a smile on your face. Here's our wrap-up from around Northern Suffolk and the East End.

As a local news organization, Patch covers stories of all kinds, from heartbreaking tragedies to nitty-gritty breakdowns of government and school district issues. But some stories are simply inspiring, often showing that at the heart of our communities is a desire to do good. Here are some of the touching headlines from the past seven days.

Philanthropist To Take Kids On Shopping Spree

Dhonna Goodale, an actress and reality star, may live a glamorous life today – but she remembers what it was like to struggle.

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That's why Goodale, a philanthropist who gives back every year and awards scholarships to local teens, is planning, with her family, to take approximately 20 Riverhead kids, who are homeless or in foster care, on a Christmas Eve shopping spree.

The children, she said, will be able to pick out new toys and clothes. The event will take place on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Kmart in Riverhead.

Find out what's happening in Riverheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

1,500 Cookies For Military Families

In an effort to bring some holiday cheer to widows/widowers, those who are sick and troops across seas, members of the Westhampton Beach Junior Fire Departmen tbaked them cookies that will be, in most cases, hand delivered.

Polar Plunge Lifts Spirits

After having to be rescheduled to Dec. 15 from its original date because of Superstorm Sandy, the Brookhaven Town Polar Plunge was held on Saturday at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai to support athletes competing in the Special Olympics.

PHOTOS: Student Athletes Deliver Holiday Cheer at Cancer Center 

Members of Stony Brook University's men's and women's soccer teams, women's lacrosse, and men's and women's swimming and diving teams were joined by athletic director Jim Fiore and of course Wolfie to deliver dozens of toys to children at Stony Brook’s Cancer Center on Wednesday.

The Cancer Center is often a very serious place, where both children and adults receive a variety of therapies.

"Because of the therapies they receive, they're often in and out of the hospitals and require frequent monitoring by their doctors," said Lauren Sharaby, a certified child life specialist at the Cancer Center. "So this type of event brings joy and cheer to our clinic ... It brightens up a day filled with medicine, procedures, and doctor visits."


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