By Anne Marie Allocca
Nearly 800 people from throughout the Valley Stream community and beyond participated in Relay For Life, an overnight celebration to raise money for the American Cancer Society, awareness of the disease and the spirits of those who participated. The evening was successful beyond anyone's expectations. Nearly $90,000 was raised, and donations are still pouring in.
Participants camped out in the center of the track, many with tents and tables full of food and drink. They were ready to spend the entire night, intermittently walking and socializing for this worthy cause. To keep the momentum going, entertainment was scheduled throughout the night. There was coloring, puzzles and manicures at 10 p.m., Bingo for Chocolate at 2:30 a.m. and morning aerobics at 4:30, just to name a few of the activities.
"Cancer doesn't sleep, and neither are we tonight," said Dr. Elizabeth Lison, District 13 superintendent, to the crowd at the start of the event. "We are here to remember those people who passed away from cancer, to honor those who are cancer survivors and to remember why we are all here - so that we can donate funds so that cancer will not kill anyone else. So that cancer research will be able to cure all people from now on."
District 13 Board of Education Trustee Michael Mastrocinque, a cancer survivor himself, touched the crowd with his words. After thanking the survivors for attending, he said, "Their presence here is a testament to how extraordinary human beings can be. Their perseverance, tenacity. It's truly inspirational."
Mastrocinque was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001, during his second year in law school. He was 23. "I'm inspired by other people's stories," he said. "As the youngest trustee [on District 13's board], I feel like what I've gone through has somewhat aged me about 15 to 20 years. Once you see your light bulb flicker a little bit."
Mastrocinque urged people who know others who are going though treatment to reach out with a phone call or even an e-mail. "I can't tell you how much that meant to me," he said.
Carly Rosen didn't have to reach out too far. The 11-year-old's mother, Bonnie, was diagnosed a year ago. Carly proudly wore her "caregiver" sash. "I supported her and cooked for her," Carly said. "It's cool to be able to support people who have cancer and recognize them."
Nancy Mott, a secretary at the Wheeler Avenue School, gathered a team of 25. The "Mottley Crew" raised more than $5,000. For Mott, the event was personal. "Cancer touched my mom and dad - it touches everybody," she said. "I felt like I wanted to do something. My mom and dad are survivors, and my cousin Eileen. I'm so proud of my team. My team did a great job raising money."
The largest team assembled was the "Pink Ladies," formed by Patty Giannasco. "My cousin, Alex Fazzi, passed away a long time ago," Giannasco said, "so we walk for him. We raised $9,100. Next year we'll do more. We're going to go all night!"
Ann Marie DiSibio was taken with the luminaria candles that lined the track. Most included a message to a lost loved one or survivor. "It's kind of sad walking around reading them, but it's great seeing the whole community come out like this," DiSibio said. "It's a beautiful thing and a beautiful night."
Survivor Barbara Casella also participates in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, but found this event much more emotional. "Doing this was very overwhelming, much more than I could expect," Casella said. "[It makes you] really realize what you've been through."
Besides raising awareness and money for cancer research, District 13 had another goal in mind when it first proposed hosting Relay For Life. According to Lison, the district began planning the event last September. After deciding that a walk/run was the way to go, district officials did a little research and discovered the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
"We wanted to do something to pull the community together and do something worthwhile," Lison said.
Before the event, there was a dinner for the survivors at the Willow Road School. Lisa Sells-Asch was in charge of recruiting the survivors, and was thrilled with the turnout. "We sent out 40 invitations to survivors, and had a turnout of 100 with their caregivers," Sells-Asch said.
Food for the dinner was donated by Kathy and Casper Cicio, Sharlene and Rob Cano and the Lucente family, according to Sells-Asch, who added that the James A. Dever and Willow Road School art clubs made gifts for the survivors. A music ensemble provided the entertainment.
The district achieved each of its goals. "Now that we've done it, it could be annual," Lison said.
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