Making strides for a cause in Wantagh-Seaford

Lisa Nessler, a MacArthur High School social studies teacher, said that members of her varsity cheerleading team take on many community-service projects annually.

The coach explained that the student-athletes regularly pack boxes of nonperishable food, shipping them to pantries at Nassau Community College and across the globe. They sponsor a family from the Wantagh-Seaford-Levittown area during the holiday season, buying them gifts. And they raise money for organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

Nessler noted, though, that one cause is especially near and dear to all of the girls’ hearts: walking with thousands of people across the region at Making Strides of Long Island, a walk that celebrates breast cancer survivors, honors those who have died and raises money for the American Cancer Society.  

“They feel like they’re part of something bigger and that they’re helping to make a difference,” she said. “So many of us view cancer as something someone we know is battling. But the walk really puts it in perspective how many local people have been impacted by this disease, and how many people are really behind them, giving support.” 

Many community groups will also take part in this year’s walk, which will begin at 8 a.m. on Sunday. While Wantagh-Seaford residents need not travel far for the event, thousands more will come to Jones Beach State Park to support the cause. 

A beautiful walk

Patrice Lestrange Mack, a communications manager for the American Cancer Society, explained that Making Strides of Long Island is a two-pronged event, with walks at Jones Beach and at Suffolk Community College on two consecutive weekends in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is the largest Making Strides event in the United States, she noted. The Wantagh walk alone draws about 60,000 participants annually.  

Katie Goepfrich, another community manager for the nonprofit, said that the walk was first held in Nassau County 23 years ago at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow. Five years later, it was moved to Jones Beach for logistical and aesthetic reasons. 

“Initially, Jones Beach was named the new location purely because it can handle 55,000 to 60,000 walkers,” she said. “But it’s also beautiful and really defines what Long Island is … As much of a small community that we are, there are so many of us here who are affected by breast cancer and all cancers. So let’s go to this beautiful place to celebrate life and survivorship and progress.”

Although Goepfrich said that she’s heard so many stories about lost loves ones that have brought tears to her eyes since she started volunteering at the walk 15 years ago, she added that Making Strides is meant to be an upbeat event. There’s plenty of live music on the boardwalk, where participants will also find photo booth stations. Walkers come dressed in pink feathers and glitter. And inside what’s known as the survivor tent, there’s lots of cheering and clapping. 

“I get the same joy every year hearing women say, ‘I’m 25 years’ or ‘I’m two years,’” she said of the breast cancer survivors who visit the station. “For the people that come around every year, hearing that number go up and up and feelings that positive energy is such an inspirational point of the walk.” 

At various stations, information about breast cancer is distributed, along with reminders about the important of mammograms. American Cancer Society representatives also demonstrate wig-fitting and tell survivors about resources that are available to them.

Goepfrich said that Making Strides of Long Island participants typically raise about $3 million for the American Cancer Society every year. Mack noted that 75 percent of those donations go to research, education, prevention and early-detection programs.

The society, Mack said, is investing in breast cancer research that is developing strategies for more effective diagnosis and new breast cancer treatments, such as evaluating genetics to identify factors that are associated with breast cancer risk; exploring new treatments, including those that activate immune system cells; and developing new treatment options patients who do not respond to or become resistant to existing strategies. The organization also helps cancer patients cope with the emotional and physical side effects of treatment, she explained, assisting them through a 24-hour hotline, (800) 227-2345, offering free wigs and rides to treatment and workshops 

“From research to education, prevention to diagnosis, and treatment to recovery, we provide support to everyone impacted by breast cancer,” Mack concluded. 

Local folks take action  

Heidi Felix, the Wantagh Kiwanis Club liaison to the Wantagh High School Key Club, said that both groups are determined to aid the American Cancer Society in helping patients and finding a cure. She said she sees Making Strides of Long Island as a place to celebrate the survivors in the Wantagh community. 

 “We believe that walking will raise awareness about this horrible disease,” Felix said. “We all have friends and family members who have suffered from breast cancer. Hope, faith and love will guide us through tough times. We need to believe that they will find a cure.” 

About 50 Wantagh Key Club members take part in the walk each year, asking family and neighbors to sponsor them through social media and at local events. Seaford High School Principal Scott Bersin said that his school’s Key Club also always supports the cause. 

  At Seamen Neck Middle School — which serves students with learning, behavioral, emotional and developmental disabilities — administrators said that raising funds for the walk has become embedded in the culture of the building. Under the leadership of Assistant Principal Sandra Arce, a cancer survivor, Team Seaman Neck Striders has raised $1,000 for the society every year for the past five years. 

Jennifer Nicchia, a school secretary, explained that each week throughout the academic year, one class is assigned to host a mini-fundraiser. During their lunch periods, the students sell cookies, pink ribbons and homemade flowers, with proceeds benefitting the society.

“It shows [the students] how to be involved in the community,” Nicchia said. “We all have a passion for the cause.” 

School groups aren’t the only local organizations walking at Making Strides and hosting breast cancer awareness programs. The Miss Wantagh Court is participating in several fundraisers and events. Miss Wantagh, Emma Carey, a Wantagh High senior, will hold a seminar on self-examination at the high school on Thursday, featuring guest speaker Dr. David Kaufman, from Bethpage Breast Care Specialists.

“It’s an awareness for all genders and all ages,” Miss Wantagh coordinator Ella Stevens said. “It’s important to perform self-exams, so we can prevent the furtherance of this disease. Our biggest hope is to find a cure.”

“A lot of people in my life have been diagnosed with breast cancer, and being very close to it showed me the horrible things it does to a person’s body,” Carey said. “The best you can do for someone is show your love and support to them in times when they need it the most.”