President, Graybeards

On September 11th, Steve Stathis watched as the second plane hit the World Trade Center. As a safety specialist for Con Edison, he knew his skills would be needed at the site and rushed to Ground Zero. Fueled only by a few hours sleep and a periodic shower and meal, he spent 16 hour days on the pile. When Steve finally returned to his home in the Rockaways, he understood that widespread damage lay under the surface, in the people of his community—firefighters, policemen and ironworkers, many, like him, who had worked at Ground Zero—who were not likely to seek help, especially from "outsiders."

With a deep desire but little idea of how to help his community, he pulled together the Graybeards, guys like him who played basketball in an over 35 league, and sat them down in a local bar. Without any agenda or concrete plan, they leapt into action, kicking in money for dues and putting in place efforts to rebuild their fractured community. Then, on November 12th, the Rockaways received another devastating blow when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed in their neighborhood. All of a sudden, the Graybeards were more than a charity; they were a key element in bringing much needed therapy and support to the neighborhood.

Today, the Graybeards serve the community in a variety of ways: supporting counseling and mentoring initiatives, children's programs, and community projects. They are a fully operating nonprofit that is bringing people out of isolation and making the healing process an open, community effort.

And yes, they still play basketball.