Old New York event to help Katrina victims OLD BRIDGE — Like so many others touched by the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Kim Guzman felt the need to help. But making a simple donation wouldn’t be enough for the Old Bridge woman. “My mother [Nancy Schirmer] and I wanted to donate money, but then we thought, if we can get a group of people together, we’d have a chance of generating some serious money,” Guzman said. Guzman, 36, now hopes to realize that goal Sept. 27 when Old New York, the Route 516 restaurant and nightclub where she works as a waitress and bartender, will hold a fund-raiser starting at 7 p.m. A $20 per person charge will go entirely to hurricane victims, and attendees will be treated to a free buffet, a silent auction and karaoke. Guzman said Old New York owner Frank Stella was “very receptive” to her idea of the fund-raiser. “He offered to donate all the food,” she said. Since she began to spread the word about the silent auction, more than a dozen local businesses have come forward to offer prizes, many of which are gift certificates for services or products. “We’ve had some really nice things donated,” she said, noting her hope that several more parties will offer auction items before Tuesday’s event. The auction will begin around 7:30 p.m. and will run for about two hours. Karaoke, a popular Tuesday night feature at Old New York, will start at 9 p.m. “I really do hope that we can raise some good money,” she said, adding that she is hoping a business or other organization will come forward to match the money raised through the event. Guzman said she did not personally know any of the victims displaced by Katrina. “But I really feel like, with this hurricane, you didn’t have to know anybody in order to want to help. It’s just awful. And now that it’s starting to be on TV a little less, I’m nervous people are going to stop trying to help,” she said. Those interested in purchasing advance tickets, making donations or offering auction items can call the restaurant at (732) 607-0800 or Guzman at (732) 216-3180.