Number of Participants: 350
Hours Donated: 300
Value of Time Served: $887,250
Event Amount Raised: $10,000
Event Type: Civic & Community
Sport: Boys Cross Country
Date: September 8, 2024
Location:
93 North Country Road
Setauket- East Setauket, NY
USA
About:
My name is Sean Grossman and I am a sophomore at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson. I am a member of my school’s varsity cross country and track teams. Combining my love for running — with my interest in local history AND inspired by my grandparents’ lifelong commitment to community service — in September of 2024, I organized the first annual Culper Spy 5K for the Three Village Historical Society in Setauket. The 5K course passed numerous historic sites related to the Culper Spy Ring, a famous Revolutionary War-era network organized by Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge and Gen. George Washington during the British occupation of New York City and Long Island. I was helped by an army of volunteers of all ages and from three local communities. My Port Jefferson HS team and coach ran and attended the event. Additionally, Mt. Sinai High School’s varsity football team members acted as race ambassadors along the route. Local boy scouts from Setauket helped my grandma, Janette Handley, and other members of the Setauket Neighborhood House Board of Trustees pass water out at the one mile mark. NYS assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay, waving a revoluntionary flag, and former NYS representative Steve Englebright welcomed runners along the course into the Frank Melville Park. I was guided every step of the way by Strong Island Running Club’s John McHugh and Three Village Historical Society’s Mari Irizarry. This event attracted nearly 350 participants and raised $10,000 for historic barn renovation and educational programs of the Three Village Historical Society.
