Rachel's Dance For The Cure 2021-2022: A Year In Review
Rachel's Dance For The Cure
2021-2022: A Year In Review
THE YEAR IN REVIEW
WALK-A-THON
Last May, the Commack community came together for our inaugural Walk-a-Thon in honor of Rachel. The Commack community walked through Rachel's neighborhood with each other in support of a great cause. Generous donations were made by The Commack High School's Boys and Girls Scholar Athlete Club and other local community members willing to help. Many friends and family made this day memorable, especially Alyssa Stagg and Haley Weinstein who kindly organized and orchestrated the entire event. We can't express enough how thankful and grateful we are for Rachel's friends and their contributions to our foundation. This event raised over $6,000.
K-FACTOR 2021
We celebrated the 10th Anniversary of HHS Key Club's K-Factor talent show. Year after year, the performances never cease to amaze the audience. Despite Covid, the show carried on. HHS and the Key Club took necessary precautions to ensure the show was filled with music, dances, and other talents. It was our very first live-streamed show. English teacher Ms.Krycinski and musician Michael Zigon delivered performances in dedication to Rachel. We raised $8,000 for the organization which is being used to help families at Stony Brook Hospital.
CHECK OUT AN ARTICLE ON THE 2021 K-FACTOR
RACHEL’S 17TH BIRTHDAY BALLOON RELEASE AND CELEBRATION
On June 18th, 2021, Rachel's friends and family gathered for the 3rd Annual Balloon Release in honor of Rachel's 17th Birthday. Special messages of love were written on the balloons and released into the sky. A beautiful dedication was said by Aimee and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Rachel as the balloons were released.
STEP BY STEP DANCE RECITAL
On July 11th, 2021 Rachel's Tutus were able to perform in their very first Step by Step Dance Recital since Covid. We have been sponsoring Rachel's Tutus since 2020. The children in this class are either undergoing treatment for pediatric cancer or their siblings are. It brings us so much joy watching them being able to perform on stage doing what they love.
PEDIATRIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Rachel and all of the many children who have passed away or who are currently fighting, RDFTC participated in several events. The first one was a tree lighting in Huntington, NY. Rachel was honored and her name was on one of the ribbons. Another event was that Huntington High School went GOLD for Pediatric Cancer. The student body and faculty wore GOLD every Friday in September.
COMMACK GIRLS VARSITY SOCCER PLAYS FOR RACHEL AND MATTHEW
On October 18th, 2021, the Commack Girls' Varsity Soccer Team dedicated their game to Rachel and another classmate, Matthew, who also passed away from pediatric cancer. It was so special to have Rachel and Matthew honored with their Senior Class of 2022.
NOVEMBER FUNDRAISERS
On November 30th, Madi Hilman and the Smithtown West DECA club organized a fundraiser at a local Chic-Fil-A restaurant. Thanks to Madi's hard work and generosity to organize this event, they raised over $500 for RDFTC.
Also in November, Alyssa Stagg used creativity to support pediatric cancer. Alyssa and her business class took time to create bracelets with the initials "RA". They donated the profits of the sales to RDFTC and helped to raise over $200.
We thank you both tremendously for the support and efforts you have shown to a great cause!
COMMACK COUGARETTES
On February 5th, 2022, The talented Commack Cougarettes put on a terrific performance at their annual exhibition and raised money to honor their fellow dancer, Rachel Antorino and support both RDFTC and The Matthew Hathaway foundation.
HONORING RACHEL
On May 10th, 2022, the Commack JV baseball team honored Rachel and raised awareness for pediatric cancer in their matchup versus Northport. Before the game, a ceremony was held and speeches were made by JV Coach James Desmond and by Aimee Antorino.
K-FACTOR 2022
On May 13th, 2022, Huntington High School rocked the 11th Annual K-Factor Talent Show! It was a sold out production!! Spectacular performances were seen by both students and teachers! This event raised $14,000 for RDFTC.
Check out this article on K-Factor 2022!
SENIOR GIFT AND GRADUATION FOR RACHEL AND MATTHEW
In June, The Commack High School Class of 2022 honored former classmates Matthew Hathaway and Rachel Antorino by dedicating a memorial in their honor at Commack High School. The memorial is said to "stand for remembrance of the two beautiful souls that touched the lives of many." The senior class raised money that has allowed them to create a beautiful memorial for their classmates. They have done a fantastic job honoring their two brave classmates.
On June 24th, 2022, Commack High School Class of 2022 had their graduation. It was an emotional and special ceremony. Rachel and Matthew were honored and their diplomas were received. Thank you to the administration for including Rachel and Matthew with the graduating class.
SURVIVING THE CURE
In June, Courtney Horvath shared a heartwarming and inspiring story of her son Colby who was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of eight. She tells of Colby's intense and both physically and mentally demanding journey throughout his chemo treatment. Courtney shows all the troubles Colby and the family went through during his 733 days dealing with his diagnosis. Colby's strength and bravery is truly inspiring and sets precedent for any child in a similar situation. In their TED Talk, they honor Rachel and other children who lost their battle with pediatric cancer.
Check Out The TED Talk On Youtube
RACHEL’S 18th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. Its about learning to dance in the rain" -Vivian Greene
WHERE HAS YOUR MONEY GONE?
Seven year old Brooklyn was diagnosed with AML. The RDFTC foundation used your donations to purchase Christmas gifts on Brooklyn's wish list. Brooklyn was in the hospital during the holidays and fulfilling her wish list brought a big smile to her and her family.
Adam Buchta was diagnosed with ALL last May. The 13-year-old Commack teenager was a teammate of Anthony's in soccer and Anthony recalls his kindness and strength. Since his admission to the hospital last May, Adam has undergone 4 rounds of chemotherapy. RDFTC has donated to Adam's gofundme page to assist Adam and his family during treatment.
Jackson was a 12 year old boy who had AML, like Rachel. Rachel and Jackson were undergoing treatment at Stony Brook at the same time and became fast friends. They stayed up late together in the hospital blasting music and sharing snacks. More than anything they both wished they were home enjoying their childhood. A memorial court that included benches, tables and new basketball hoops was created at Jackson's favorite playground. RDFTC donated $500 for this beautiful memorial for Jackson.
Five year old Charlotte has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Wilms Tumor. Her family had a fundraiser to help with treatment costs and expenses. RDFTC donated $1000 to help Charlotte and her family.
We delivered toys and gift cards to pediatric cancer patients and their families at Stony Brook Hospital. All of this was made possible by your generous donations.
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
Onsite Foundation - an organization that helps families going through loss. $2500 was donated to send a grieving family to their "Life after Loss" program.
Grief Haven -a foundation that provides therapy services for those who have lost their children. $2500 was donated to the program to assist with their foundation expenses.
Rachel Antorino Memorial Scholarship Award - The Three recipients of this scholarship award each received $1000 to be used toward their college education.
Funeral Expenses - Sadly but gratefully appreciated, RDFTC has donated over $5000 in funeral expenses.
CUREFEST
CureFest is one of the world's largest gatherings of families, advocates, and researchers all looking toward a brighter future of hope and better treatment for childhood cancer. This year it will be taking place on September 21-25, 2022 in Washington, DC. For those who can't make the trip but would still like to participate, CureFest is offering an online livestream to the event.
Dear Family and Friends,
We would like to thank you for your continued support through your generous donations and help with all of our events. For our future newsletters, we welcome any stories you would like to share about your time with Rachel. We look forward to more fundraising opportunities in the future!
Love,
Rachel's Dance for the Cure