Alexander’s Angels Annual Buddy Walk

The Halloween-themed Alexander’s Angels 17th annual Buddy Walk®, ironically nicknamed Walk of Doom! had to be canceled.
Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 21, the incessant rain all day Friday, forecasted to continue until early afternoon on Saturday, would have already been enough to render the traditional Buddy Walk® doomed. But the horror continued with the provider’s cancellation of the tents needed to cover activities. That was the nail on the coffin, leaving no choice but to cancel the event. Attempts to move the Buddy Walk® from Tanner Park in Copiague to another date and to other sites also failed, making the name Walk of Doom! truly appropriate.
Although the central activity of the Buddy Walk® is a one-mile trek with all teams and their buddies walking together, a slew of fun activities engages the participants and invited guests throughout the rest of the 4.5-hour event. The eagerly awaited annual gathering keeps all teams busy planning for months in advance. Many teams bring their own tents which this year had been decorated to follow the Halloween theme, and a time had been set aside for the youngsters to Trick or Treat from tent to tent. All those plans were dampened by the rain, but not so the spirits of those planning to attend.
Through it all, these inspirational individuals showed the true meaning of “perseverance” by having private family celebrations and remaining super excited as they continue planning future events.
Most raffle items have been saved for the World Down Syndrome Day celebration which will take place on Saturday, March 23 at Roosevelt Field. However, Alexander’s Angels, based in Jericho, is delighted to announce that on Saturday, Dec. 2, four tickets to a NY Rangers game scheduled for Wednesday Dec. 27 will be raffled at the Main Event, a restaurant in Farmingdale. The prize, sought by team Shane’s Shining Stars, has a total value of $771. The raffle tickets will be sold from noon to 1 p.m. and the winning ticket announced at 1 p.m. Please, join Alexander’s Angels at this belated celebration–you may be a lucky winner!
Henry Ford once said, when everything goes against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. Despite setbacks, like a plane with the wind against it, Alexander’s Angels is taking off anew determined to soar once again!
Alexander Gomez-Nieto, now living in Simsbury, CT, was born in Scottsdale, AZ, in 2001 to two Long Islanders. His family wanted to participate in a Buddy Walk on Long Island, but there was no event. After years of effort, Alexander’s Angels was formed, and the first Buddy Walk was held in 2007, with 560 people attending, even during inclement weather conditions.
At age 21, Alexander, a graduate from Simsbury High School, is a very active young man. He has learned to swim, has taken horseback riding, is a member of a baseball team, loves to go to the movies, enjoys playing his electric guitar and has been part of a theater class.
—Submitted by Alexander’s Angels