Celebrating Life - Eventful Magazine

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Celebrating Life, continued thought about how other people could partake in a similar 24-hour event in communities across the country. He recruited a small team of people and put on the first Relay event in 1986. Since then, Relay has developed into an overnight event where people bring tents and sleep out around the tracks. People of all ages come out to bring the community together and reminisce about their loved ones who have died of cancer and honor those who have survived while raising money to fight for a cure. Now, almost 4 million people take part in Relay events in over 5,000 communities in the U.S. As the Hajkowskis walked the first lap, known as the Survivor’s Lap, hand in hand, something clicked and the two have been committed to helping promote Relay, creating awareness about the services that the ACS offers and raising money to further cancer research and provide additional support services to cancer patients ever since. They are not alone. Their story is similar to that of other cancer survivors who have been inspired by the work of ACS and the Relay events. Heather Strickland, a Mahopac resident who is a teacher in Chappaqua, shares the co-chair position with Crissy for the Relay event in Mahopac. Heather is also a cancer survivor. These two women have worked tirelessly along with other volunteers and with the ACS Event Director Tracey Walsh, who is a former volunteer, to organize and promote Relay. Since 1999, Putnam residents have raised over $3 million for ACS by participating in Relay events. This year, they expect to raise more than an additional $300,000 through the combined efforts of two Relay locations — Mahopac and Patterson. Photo by Bill Kennedy Last year, the money raised through the Putnam events paid for 1,352 rides for nearly 150 cancer patients undergoing treatment, support groups and workshops for more than 250 survivors and caregivers, financial assistance and resource referrals for 180 patients and free housing for more than 90 patients receiving treatment and their family members at the New York City Hope Lodge. Relay for Life has been a uniting force in Mahopac since 1999. For many, it isn’t about whether you are participating in Relay, but rather how are you participating and why. Some do it because they have lost a loved one to cancer, others because they themselves have survived cancer or they know someone who has. The Patterson event, which takes place at the firehouse on Rte. 311 in Patterson on June 11 from noon to midnight, is in its second year and is drawing people in from the surrounding local communities including Brewster and Pawling. Whatever the reason that draws them to Relay, everyone walks away recharged and empowered.There are certain moments in life that put everything else into perspective. When you go to a Relay event, you can experience several of those moments in one day. Relay is full of moments that put life in perspective. During the event, survivors are honored with a ceremony and by leading the first lap. They are also invited to a special luncheon. Caretakers are recognized for their hard work and dedication with a ceremony and lap as well. More so for sur- Torches being lit at the 2010 Relay for Life event at Mahopac High School. Photo by Bill Kennedy vivors and caretakers, Relay becomes a place of refuge — place where they put their guard down, mingle with those who understand and, for a moment, relax. The event is a fundraiser; while teams walk around the track, people from the community are welcome to stop by and partake in the festivities. There is a silent auction as well as other activities such as pony rides, an obstacle course, bingo, Zumba, a Miss Relay contest, tournaments and a Road to Recovery Rally. At the Mahopac event, which is scheduled from 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 4, to 7 a.m. on Sunday, June 5, on the fields of Mahopac High School, there will be an appearance by the Hudson Valley Renegades mascot, a health fair, live entertainment by bands such as Dead End, and a craft area for kids provided by Home Depot. There will also be vendor booths set up by the teams to help raise more money for their cause. One of the most emotional but spectacular activities at the event is the Luminary Ceremony. Candles are lit in memory of people who have been lost to cancer, and the candles are placed in luminary bags with the person’s name on it. The bags are then lined around the track, often forming several rows around it. People are still welcome to join existing teams or start their own for either the Mahopac or Patterson event. For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/mahopacny. 12 Eventful Magazine - June 2011
Senior Spotlight T.J. Foley, Mahopac High All-American Hopeful Looks to Win Elusive Sectional Title One look at Mahopac senior T.J. Foley is all it takes to see star quality. There is no school like “old school,” and Foley is best described as a throwback, a coach’s dream. As a three-sport star for the Indians, Foley has shined as the starting quarterback for the Section 1 Class AA runner-up football team and the starting forward for the Section 1 Class AA Final 4 basketball team, but it is on the lacrosse green where this Drexelbound midfielder best excels. In the midst of an All-American campaign, Foley leads the state-ranked (No. 24) Indians with 40 goals and 47 points (as of press time), leading Mahopac to a 13-3 record and a likely No. 1 seed in the Section 1 Class AA playoffs in late May when he hopes to bring home the gold for the first time since 2004. After late-season playoff defeats on the gridiron and hardwood, Foley and the Indians expect to finally represent Section 1 in the NYSPHAA tournament in early June when they hope to compete for the second state title in Mahopac lacrosse history (1996). Whether he achieves that goal or not, Foley has certainly set the standard for three-sports stars at Mahopac High for next generation. Spotlights and photos by Ray Gallagher sports Senior Spotlight Chelsea Lisikatos, Haldane High Blue Devil RHP/Slugger Hopes to Go Out on Top Haldane senior RHP Chelsea Lisikatos did some fine dining on host Peekskill recently when she went 5 for 5 with nine RBIs in a 25-9 stomping of the Red Devils. The captain mashed two home runs and a double and also struck out 15 in five scoreless innings in one of the most impressive outings of her storied, All-NYS career, which recently included the 1,000th strikeout of her career in a win over Beacon. The University of North Carolina Charlotte-bound hurler hopes to go out on top for the second time in her storied career in late May while representing state-ranked (No. 7) Haldane (15-1 as of press time) in the NYSPHAA Class C softball tournament this June. The five-pitch windmiller with a career ERA under 1.00 and a batting average hovering around .500 will go down as the greatest softball player in Blue Devil history, having carved a swath of unparalleled success as both a pitcher and a hitter, plus an extraordinary mentor to young children of the Haldane-based community. Lisikatos becomes the first Haldane softball player to sign a Division I scholarship and the seventh Section 1 player since 2005 to play for a major Division I program, joining the like of Putnam Valley alum Katie McNamara (Southern Illinois), Horace Greeley’s Maddy Coon (Stanford), John Jay-Cross River’s Ali Gardiner (Florida), Yorktown’s Cassie Reilly-Boccia (Alabama) and Kasey O’Connor (Notre Dame), and Somers’ Tammy Wray (LSU). www.eventfulmagazine.com 13
Page 1: magazine eventful Putnam County Edi
Page 4 and 5: estaurants & reviews Hit tHe Spot:
Page 6 and 7: theater & the arts Hudson Valley is
Page 8 and 9: outdoors By Rich Monetti If you hap
Page 10 and 11: Putnam Pets Woofstock June 12, 2011
Page 14 and 15: wellness Zumba is a Party in Putnam
Page 16 and 17: usiness beat Chiropractic Works Cel
Page 18 and 19: eventful rewind (A collage of event
Page 20 and 21: community calendar Thursday, June 2
Page 22 and 23: community calendar Community Events

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