Sachem Makes a Difference with Making Strides

Sachem again came out in droves for the annual Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk at Jones Beach this year.

The district has been one of the top in New York the last three years for total money raised to support the American Cancer Society.

This year, students, teachers, sports teams, parents, administrators and everyone in between showed their support.

"One young boy even raised $27 with a car wash," said Cathy Rienth, Sachem's walk coordinator and the vice president of the Sachem Central Teachers Association. "It really pulls the community together."

Rienth helps the SCTA and district as a whole throughout the year with various fundraising initiatives, something Sachem expands on every year.

"Sachem does wonderful things," said Dawn Tropeano, the director of special events for the American Cancer Society, a Sachem resident and cancer survivor. "Every year they strive for bigger and better things. Sachem goes above and beyond with everything it does."

Teri Dunn, a physical education teacher in Sachem, lost her sister Judy, who was once a survivor after originally being diagnosed with breast cancer 14 years ago, this past December.

"[Making Strides] gave me something concrete that I could do when I felt so helpless," she said. "Even though she was in New Hampshire and was too weak to attend, I would always pick up the latest survivor t-shirt at the survivor's tent and bring it to her next time I visited.  She was so proud to wear them.

"Sachem is an outstanding district when it comes to giving, and the numbers of people who walk with extended family and the number of colleges who donate each year is truly inspiring."