Cover credit – Aiden Lorenzo
In September of 2021, the hamlet of Blue Point was rocked by the sudden and tragic passing of fourteen-year-old Christopher Coluccio. This, as well as the tragic deaths of other young teens in Blue Point, as well as in Lake Ronkonkoma and Patchogue, led Christopher’s father, Chris, Sr., to start a non-proft organization in memory of his son.
The Christopher A. Coluccio Foundation was started as a way to not only celebrate the spirit of Christopher, but to also educate the community on mental health, support those who struggle with mental health, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and help parents open dialogues with their children regarding mental health, depression, and suicide.
One way that the foundation has done this is through awarding scholarships to graduating seniors in Sufolk County.
Tuesday night at St. Lawrence’s Bethany Center in Sayville, twenty-nine students from all over Sufolk County were awarded the Christopher A. Coluccio Mental Health Scholarship and four students were awarded with the Under the Radar Scholarship.
Many of the students who were awarded come from many diferent schools and towns, including Bayport-Blue Point, Sayville, Connetquot, Brentwood, Babylon, and even the likes of Sachem, Ward Melville, Comsewogue, Center Moriches, and Hampton Bays. Additionally, the “Force for Good” scholarship was awarded to Bayport-Blue Point resident Lily Carrabis, and the Anthony Marino scholarship was awarded to Michael Walsh, a Sayville-born senior at St. Anthony’s High School. The event saw not only the awarding of scholarships by the Coluccio family, but it also saw live music from Airlea Deutscher. It also featured words from Christopher’s siblings, Isabella and Nico, and Chris Coluccio, Sr.’s longtime friend and Town of Islip Councilman John Lorenzo (C-West Sayville) (pictured below), who is a noted supporter of the foundation due to his long friendship with the Coluccio family.
When asked about the impact that the foundation has had on the community, as well as on Sufolk County in general, Coluccio said, “I am amazed at what we have accomplished in the last four years! With the help of our community and some wonderful people, we’ve been able to change so many ways about how schools and our community tackle mental health and the services used to support those who struggle with it. It has been an amazing journey and in a way, while the loss of Christopher is one of the worst things to happen to me in my life, it has also been something that has really helped us change our community and hopefully the world for the better.”
Those close with the Coluccio family and have seen the rise of both the Christopher A. Coluccio Foundation and increased awareness of mental health in schools and on Long Island in general can say that the Coluccio Family have done a brilliant job in spreading awareness.
