Southampton - Charity begins at home in Southampton where the organizers of two annual events decided to join forces as a way to counter a floundering economy that has neighbors counting pennies as they weigh their own finances with a desire to help others who may be less fortunate this year. The tightening economy has definitely taken its toll on fundraisers as regular attendees pick and chose their functions this spring and party planners look at ways to cut costs without cutting out the fun.

"We didn't want to make people choose between one party or the other," Mary Slattery, co-chair of the Have A Heart Community Trust fundraiser said as party plans moved forward this week.

Jean Mackenzie Koster outside The Clamman, where it all began in 1982.

"We decided to do this together and combine forces," Jean Mackenzie Koster said referring to the ninth annual Koster Memorial Benefit that will be held along with the Have A Heart Community Trust fundraiser for the first time this year on Saturday, March 28 at the Four Seasons Caterers at 15 Prospect Street in the Village of Southampton.

Labor Of Friendship
The two events have traditionally been held in February and March beginning with the Have A Heart fundraiser in February, followed by the Koster Memorial Benefit at the end of March. Have A Heart contributes to many local charities while the Koster Fund, established in memory of Koster's late husband Paul, provides scholarships for Southampton High School's graduating seniors.

"The students have to be going on to higher education, but that does not necessarily mean college," Koster explained, noting funds are available for students planning to attend beauty schools, trade schools, or pursue other activities that further their education.

"This is not an easy year to raise money," Slattery said. "People are worrying about their own finances so they contribute less at a time when requests for help from Have A Heart are on the increase." Have A Heart helps people pay their fuel oil bills, lighting bills and even helps out with groceries. "They don't give the money directly to the family, they pay the bill," Koster said.

This year, both women hope the joint effort will result in a successful fundraiser for both organizations. Koster will handle all the catering - providing guests with a buffet and an open bar, while Slattery and her helpers are overseeing the entertainment which will include a band and Las Vegas Night of casino inspired gambling complete with chips. A Chinese auction and a 50/50 raffle will also be held. There will be music and dancing at the event where guests are being told to turn out decked in their festive attire. Don't worry guys - that does not mean you have to wear a tux, or suit up to roll those dice at the gaming tables.

The new wing awaits party goers for the March 28 joint fundraiser in which Have A Heart and the Koster Memorial Benefit have joined forces for the first time.

"The food will be unlimited," Slattery said. "Jean is taking care of that and she is magical." Guests will also live the high life sipping champagne from a vodka luge provided by Kettle One. For the uninitiated or for those who don't get out much, a vodka luge is an ice sculpture that has champagne cascading from its sculpted form chilling as it hits the glass. "It's a crowd pleaser," Slattery said, noting she expects ticket sales to be off the charts in the next few days as the March 28 event approaches. "We are hoping to raise some money and give it right back to the community." Tickets are $60 for the event that begins at 7 p.m. Guests will be given $100 worth of casino chips when they arrive.

The entire event will be manned by volunteers including the wait staff and the bartenders who are donating their labor along with everyone connected to the joint fundraiser.

The event will mark the opening of Koster's new venture, Four Seasons Catering, located in the former John Duck's Restaurant. Koster bought the building in December 2008 and proceeded with a major renovation that included the addition of a large banquet room. This week, just days before the joint event, the newly refinished floors were drying as a crew of electricians and painters set to work putting the finishing touches on the building.

"My husband would be so proud of me for doing this," Koster said as she walked around her new venue located just a few blocks away from The Clamman, the retail seafood shop on North Sea Road which she started with her late husband in 1982. "Let's go over there and take the pictures," Koster said, "because that is where it all started."

Paton Miller's painting of a fisherman featuring Jean Mackenzie, Koster's son, Cutter, proudly hangs outside the Clamman.

Flower Child Turned Entrepeneur
Jean Mackenzie Koster describes herself as a Jersey girl and a former flower child of the late 1960s when Hippies ruled the day. She met her husband at a party in the city. He was a local boy whose parents lived in Bayview Oaks.

Koster and her husband began life on the East End selling fresh clams from the back of a truck. "Then," Koster, a mother of three, recalled, "We had a baby. I said, 'Honey, we have to get serious. We can't keep doing this.'" So the Kosters put away their tie-dyed shirts, turned on their entrepreneurial juices and went retail with their operation. A successful business was formed based on a way of life inspired by a free spirit, a love of nature and a willingness to embrace the community.

Today, a Paton Miller painting preserved with auto paint finish hangs outside the Clamman's front door. Despite the paintings obvious value and enormous visual appeal it hangs proudly without a scratch. "We've been lucky," Koster said with a smile as she admitted she once worried about such things. "That's my son in the painting. He modeled for Paton."

The retail business developed into a catering business as customers came into the seafood store and asked for a cooked lobster. The request for a single cooked lobster quickly turned into an order for 20 cooked lobsters delivered to an oceanfront home. This eventually turned into dinner served on paper plates on the beach to more formal affairs with china and tablecloths. The rest is history, and a living legacy to Paul Koster, a man who deeply touched the hearts of residents in the community. Koster died nine years ago on March 15 as a result of injuries sustained in an accident involving a tractor. He is survived by his wife and three children, Mackenzie, Roxanne and his son Cutter of Paton Miller painting fame. Mackenzie has returned to the East End joining her mother in the business.

"It was fun. It was a good life. I miss him," Koster said as she prepared the ninth memorial benefit held in her husband's honor. "I still think people come out to the event for him."

"When you go over to see Jean don't take up too much time," Slattery said. "She has a lot of work to do to get ready for Saturday night."