Photo credit – Smithtown School District
The Bulls racked up some wins this year in terms of athletics, but perhaps the most important one of them all came for a different cause. The Smithtown Bulls participated in the annual Relay for Life Challenge on June 7th. The community service challenge was established to help fundraise for the American Cancer Society.
The Smithtown Central School District competes in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA). The Smithtown community, along with students and athletes from both East and West came together to fight against cancer. The Relay for Life event was planned for a few months by the Smithtown student body.
“I joined Relay for Life in 2018 and continued in 2019. I had chosen to join after my best friend, Patrick Kinane, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma [bone cancer] in his leg. For me, the experience was very emotional. Having such a strong connection with somebody who is battling cancer definitely made the experience more personal. Seeing so many people come together and all supporting the same cause was truly amazing. Knowing so many people are donating to this cause was heartwarming,” said Samantha Law, a 2019 Smithtown West graduate.
12 hours of continuous walking doesn’t sound too bad, right? Right. Because walking is easy compared to what those with cancer have to go through. Essentially, it turns into a relay race. In those types of races, the athletes compete on a team. For this event, the students were divided into teams and took turns walking on the track to ensure someone was always on the move.
“Teams were created however you’d like, groups of friends, groups for a sports team, etc. Team names were created by the groups of people within each team. Each team also needed a Team Captain to attend meetings and gather information. For my team, I was the Team Captain, and we were a group of friends who wanted to participate to support Pat. Our team’s name was Kinane’s KonCURErors. Teams can be as big or as small as you’d like them to be. But to stay overnight for the entire event each person on the team must raise a specific amount of money,” said Law.
Participation is key, more people mean more money. Aside from money, donations were made in the form of food and other activities. Students and community members were allowed to take part in spike ball, bubble soccer, a lip sync battle, a survivor dinner with speakers, and a scavenger hunt. There was a DJ on the scene all night long, providing music to keep everyone up and moving. All proceeds from the event were donated to the American Cancer Society.
“The point of these laps on the track through the whole night is to symbolize that cancer never sleeps which is why relay is an up all night event,” Law told The Messenger.
At 5 am the event reached its end, and with that, the grand total amounted to $86,660. Smithtown has risen approximately 400,000 since its club was established. Smithtown was 1 of 203 clubs to enter the community service challenge. The school submitted its initiative to the NYSPHSAA Team Up 4 Community platform. The platform highlights New York State Schools’ efforts in community service.
“Unfortunately, Patrick lost his battle with Osteosarcoma and Leukemia cancer in 2020. I do still find that cancer awareness is something that still resonates with me after seeing how such a terrible disease takes away some of the most positive and truly amazing people. I want to support in finding a cure so family and friends who are there for those battling cancer continue to live a full life with that person by their side. It’s been 5 years now since he has passed and he still has such an impact on how I live my life,” said Law.
Relay For Life is just one of the various ways the Smithtown Community advocates to fight against cancer. Congratulations to the Smithtown Central School District on their accomplishment this 2025 school year!
