Sean Grossman, a 10th grader from Port Jefferson's Earl L. Vandermeulen High School combined history and his love for running for an event this past month.
Grossman launched the first annual Culper Spy Day 5K. His vision brought over 300 participants to a scenic 5K course which was along several historic sites. The historic run tour was connected to the Culper Ring, a Revolutionary War spy network active during the British occupation of New York City.
The event was not only fun and a history lesson, but it also raised close to $10,000 for the education programs at the Three Village Historical Society.
Grossman's grandparents are very involved in the region's history and they both volunteer with the Three Village Historical Society. His grandparents had been seeking new fundraising ideas to support the construction of an education center near the Historical Society’s headquarters in East Setauket and Grossman came up with a brilliant idea.
The Strong Island Running Club helped him develop a plan for organizing the race. He and his grandmother visited local businesses to secure sponsorships, and with the help of the Strong Island Running Club, the Historical Society’s director, and his grandmother, they created the event’s T-shirts, race bibs, and finalized the race route.
Grossman began planning back in June and dedicated over 200 hours into the project. The event was reliant on volunteers and among them were members of the Mt. Sinai football team who helped along the race route and local Boy Scouts who distributed water to the runners.