Jeremy DeFilippis, a local to the LBI area his entire life, was in Nicaragua, sitting across from me on the other side of the “panga,” an open, versatile, shallow draft boat commonly used all over the developing world. He was smiling, chatting in broken Spanish with the captain, who was steering the outboard from the stern. DeFilippis had a big smile on his face.

A week before, DeFilippishad beenvolunteering his time to refinish rooms for a Manahawkin family whose son has a rare respiratory…