It’s been hot. Really hot. But there are some very cool events coming up this week that are relaxing, interesting, and worth your time. My fave’s are below but the site has many more options just for you. The Whaling Museum in particular is doing some terrific events this July for America 250 including their $5 Fridays.

The Good to Know piece is an article I wrote with an inside peek at the Heckscher Museum of Art Community Dinner event. I went with my family and it was a perfect combination of community, culture, and deliciousness.

(and let’s go USA ⚽)

Let’s find something good to do,

Brought to you by:

Newsletters Made Simple.
Beehiiv provides all the tools + templates to automate and grow your audience in one spot with easy Newsletters, Websites, and Podcasts built in.
Start 14-day Free Trial + 20% OFF

Upcoming Events
Go Out, Have Fun, Do Good.

Volunteering
Connect with the People and Places Around You Again.

United Way of Long Island connects Long Islanders with volunteer opportunities across Nassau and Suffolk Counties — from food packing and distribution to event support, community outreach, tutoring, office assistance, and environmental planting projects. Whether you're an individual, family, or corporate team, there's a way to get involved that fits your schedule and skills.

Good Job
Fulfilling Work Using Your Skills for Something Meaningful.

Good to Know
News and good work worth knowing about.

I then headed to the Heckscher Museum of Art for their first Summer Community Dinner of the season.

The evening opened inside with extended gallery hours, where several of the exhibiting artists from Just Powers: Long Island Biennial 2026 were on hand to talk about their work. My wife got into a deep discussion with one of the artists while the kids and I found our favorite pieces throughout the gallery. I have an almost unbearable attraction to touch artwork, which is extremely frowned upon in museum settings, but thankfully the Heckscher Museum team had set up a "please touch" table, with materials and replicas of pieces we'd just seen on display.

Then everything moved outside, where round tables were set up in the park grounds, each one with an artist from the show seated right there with us. Dinner was pay-what-you-wish, catered by Kabul Afghan Restaurant, part of a rotating lineup that spotlights a different local restaurant at each dinner. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it.

At the table the Heckscher Museum team had placed thoughtful question prompts at each seat, and our table spent the evening in genuinely great conversation about art, life, and experiences. Reading each other's answers and connecting more than you'd expect from people who'd just met twenty minutes earlier.

It was a beautiful setting for a beautiful idea: an indoor art reception that flowed into an outdoor dinner and conversation, all built around the notion that art and community aren't really separate things.

If this sounds like your kind of night, the Heckscher Museum of Art has two more Summer Community Dinners this summer.

And if you're looking for something like this to do this week, that's the whole point of Proof Positive Network — there are dozens of amazing (often free) nonprofit events happening across Long Island every week.

If Your Organization has Events, needs Volunteers, or is Hiring — PPN Wants To Help People Find You.
Listing is free. We review all submissions and publish what fits our audience and editorial standards.

P.S. — if you know someone who'd ❤️ this, please share it with them. PPN grows when good people tell other good people about it.

Thanks for being part of this growing group of purposeful people.