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Walk all night to aid cancer research
Relay for Life coming to 3V June 19, more vols wanted
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The Three Village community will host its first-ever Relay for Life in two weeks.
On June 19, community members will gather at Ward Melville High School in Setauket to participate in the 24-hour event by camping out at the site and walking or running around the track. The effort supports the American Cancer Society's mission of celebrating the lives of those who have battled cancer, remembering loved ones lost to the disease and fighting back by raising money and awareness.
So far, nearly 500 registered participants have raised almost $50,000 for the first-ever Three Village CSD Relay for Life, according to Adam DeWitt, event chairman and WMHS assistant principal. DeWitt, who came to the district two years ago from Longwood, said implementing a Relay for Life in the Three Village area was "one of the first things I wanted to do." Having participated in the Longwood Relay for Life for three years, the assistant principal described the event as "an opportunity to recognize local survivors and people who are dealing with cancer." DeWitt, whose parents are both cancer survivors, added, "It's a great event to bring the community together while raising money for a great cause."
With hopes of having 1,000 participants and raising $100,000 this year, the chairman encouraged all community members to take part in the event because "cancer affects everyone in some regard. … It's a disease that's touched everyone at some point," he said, noting that Relay for Life "combines a couple of goals" by uniting the community while raising awareness about cancer.
To help raise money for ACS, Three Village residents have created over 40 teams to host a variety of fundraisers. Among the top teams is the Patriot Power Pack, whose members have raised $6,400, according to team captain Annette Muklebust of South Setauket. The team has been "fundraising extensively" by selling novelty chocolate and asking local businesses to contribute to the cause, said Muklebust, whose grandmother survived breast cancer after undergoing a double mastectomy in 1965. Recently, the team also hosted a cash-for-gold fundraiser at the high school and raised over $1,000.
Muklebust, who lost her grandfather and uncle to cancer, said she has a "personal vendetta to get a cure for this so people don't have to suffer." She and her teammates challenged themselves to raise $10,000 to "make this a struggle because fighting cancer is a struggle," the captain said, adding, "We really want to make a difference."
Among the youngest participants at the June 19 event will be Jake Butkevich, a 7-year-old from East Setauket. A first-grader at Minnesauke Elementary School, Jake has participated in three Relay for Life events, two years in Smithtown and one in Mount Sinai, and said he hopes to "get enough [cancer] survivors to fill up the entire track" at the Three Village Relay for Life, where he will be joined by his 4-year-old sister, Mia.
In past years, Jake has held several garage sales to raise money for the cause and will do so again this year on June 13 and 14 at 332 Main St., East Setauket, starting at 10 am. The 7-year-old, who is a youth representative on the event committee, said Relay for Life allows him to "help people get better from cancer" and pointed out that he knows a cancer survivor — his grandfather, Nick Bubolo, who previously suffered from stomach cancer.
Bubolo, also of East Setauket, said his grandchildren "motivate me to keep living." He added, "I couldn't do it without them," noting that they inspire him to "just keep going." Jake's mother, Maryann Butkevich, said it's "remarkable" how many people her son has inspired. "I think Jake lets other kids know that they're able to do things," she said. "He's an example of what youth is doing right. He's not a passive participant but an active one."
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