Commack Raises $127,000 in Relay for Life

The Commack community took a stand against cancer Friday, raising nearly $127,000 for the American Cancer Society at the district's second Relay for Life, in which hundreds of community members walked the school track overnight.

Relay came to Commack last year, due to the work of a handful of dedicated students, who participated in Northport's Relay for Life and decided to bring it to their own High School.

“I attended my first Relay for Life at Northport High School in support of my mom,” Jamie Keenan, 17, said at a kick off event earlier this year. “I knew I wanted to bring it to my own high school community.” Keenan, who was a sophomore at the time worked for more than a year with administrators and staff to bring the relay to life.

In its second relay on Friday, Commack raised $126, 990. Helfner's Heroes, led by Commack dentist Bonnie Helfner, was the relay's number one fundraising team, collecting $22,000 for the American Cancer Society.

"People went really above and beyond and my office put in a lot of hard work and a lot of effort," Helfner said.

The most moving part of the event came during the evening's luminaria ceremony, in which the event's 762 participants took a silent lap around the track to remember those who lost their battle with cancer.

With tears shed and hugs given, the spirit of the relay's messages of hope and cure filled the school's field.