Community Star of the Week: July 13, 2020

NewYorkIslanders.com is spotlighting heroes who are helping their community! Nominate a community hero here!
Jeremy Feder is using America's pastime to help America's VetDogs.
Feder, a 16-year-old from Oceanside, has staged an annual charity baseball tournament in his hometown in each of the past four years, raising close to $30K for
America's VetDogs
in the process.

It's called the Jeremy Feder All-Star Charity Baseball Tournament and the fifth-annual event is scheduled for Oct. 2-4, 2020. The plan is to raise more money for VetDogs, the same organization raising the
Islanders two service dogs
.
"I was just trying to find something that I could combine with baseball and something that I wanted to help veterans with," Feder, an accomplished youth catcher, said. "My parents always taught me to help other people and to treat people the way you want to be treated."
The tournament was originally conceived as Feder's bar mitzvah project when he was 12. Feder's father suggested VetDogs as a beneficiary and the charity resonated with the youngster, who was involved with his school's Patriot's Club and looking to help veterans.

The tournament started small with about four-to-eight teams participating, but has since grown both in size and as a fundraiser. The LI Herald reported that the tournament raised $18K last season and Feder is projecting that 20-30 teams could sign up for this year's event after partnering with East Coast Tournaments.
"Over time it's gotten bigger and bigger and bigger," Feder said. "Now it's a full community event. Hundreds of people come. Opening night is great, we have raffles, all the teams and opening ceremonies."
Teams can still sign up for this year's tournament. The cost to enter the tournament is $650/team for ages 8u-10u and $750/team for ages 11u-14u. The entry fees, as well as corporate and private donations,
will go directly to the charity
. The Kiwanis of Oceanside are also expected to attend. In the past, raffles, t-shirts and food proceeds from opening night have also gone to charity, but the uncertainty around COVID-19 could affect the plans for the first night and will be known closer to the tournament date.
Service dogs from America's VetDogs are expected to be in attendance for the tournament's opening night at Wrights Field in Oceanside. The full scope of opening night activities will be determined closer to the weekend of the tournament, as Feder and his family navigate planning an event during the coronavirus pandemic, but they are hoping for another successful event for a good cause.
"I hope we can raise a lot more money this year for such an important cause," Feder said via release. "Helping our nation's veterans and first responders."
Nominated by Islanders Alumnus Steve Webb's Team Up 4 Community Program www.TeamUp4Community.org