Nowadays, most people have an aversion to watching the news because most of it is of a seemingly depressing and serious nature. For community activist and respected video journalist Waldo Cabrera, he wanted to present stories that were more positive and uplifting, which wound up being the driving force behind his creating the My Long Island TV news magazine for Verizon FIOS1 back in 2009.
From it sprung, the My Long Island TV Outstanding Stories Awards, a biennial event that was first held at Farmingdale’s Dave and Busters in 2010. The second one was held at Amityville’s Revolution Bar
& Music Hall in 2012 and the third is set to occur at the Garden City Lord & Taylor on Monday, April 27 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Having a front-row seat for so many stories that he’s reported was the main impetus behind the My Long Island TV Outstanding Stories Awards.
“My Long Island TV features stories of positive people and events in community, but every now and then we cover a story that amazes our editorial staff,” he explained. “In the studio, we found ourselves our experiences and we realized that we must honor these individuals. [So] from the more than 1,100 stories we told, we narrowed it down to 545 nominees in 17 categories.”
In keeping with the positivity theme that has come to define so much of Cabrera’s work, attendees of this event will be able to rub shoulders with a room full of community-conscious people, many of whom sometimes feel like they
are working in a vacuum. There will be opportunities to network, exchange ideas, discuss what has worked and get advice on how they can do things better. The awards event will also showcase the talents of some local youth from Central Islip and Nassau Community College. The kids from Central Islip will put on a special performance and Fashion Design students will exhibit some innovative designs. Lastly, it will serve as a fundraiser for the Mentoring Partnership of Long Island to which Lord & Taylor will donate 5 percent of any purchases made that evening by MyLITV supporters. This facet of the evening strikes close to something that is near and dear to Cabrera’s heart.
“I believe that being a mentor is the most important thing that adults can do to help keep our youth on a positive path,” he shared. “Mentoring doesn’t require money; it only requires that you spend time with a child.”
The event will be recorded and televised on the My Long Island TV show on Verizon FiOS1 News.
