Schools
Smithtown Students Choose DezyStrong Foundation For Charity
Hannah Maracina, Frank Paccione and Meghan Theofield chose the foundation as their charitable cause for their DECA.
SMITHTOWN, NY — Smithtown High School West students Hannah Maracina, Frank Paccione and Meghan Theofield chose the DezyStrong Foundation as their charitable cause for their Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) project this year, according to the Smithtown Central School District.
The trio hosted a virtual 5K, sold shirts and bracelets, and coordinated percentages of sales from local businesses to raise more than $1,700 for the foundation.
The DezyStrong Foundation was established to provide the opportunity for those with cancer to have access to experiences that promote a positive mental wellbeing.
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The foundation was formed by Matt "Dezy" DiStefano, a Sachem High School North teacher and volleyball coach who died of cancer at 42 in January 2020. DiStefano, who lived in Ronkonkoma, was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic kidney cancer in February 2019.
DiStefano created the DezyStrong Foundation to help support others affected by cancer.
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