The Riverhead High School Interact Club recently partnered with its sponsor, the Riverhead Rotary Club, to construct a rock and shell garden at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute in Riverhead.
“The rock garden will bring comfort to patients and their family members, and we are excited to help provide members of our community with the support they need during a time when they need it most,” said Riverhead Rotary Club member Connie Gevinski, chairperson of Rotary Youth Activities.
“These inspirational students demonstrated such compassion and pride in their community,” Gevinski said. “We thank them for their partnership and look forward to the rock garden continuing to grow as the Northwell Cancer Institute expands its services.”
The Riverhead High School Interact Club worked diligently to create rocks with uplifting messages for the garden, the school district said in a press release. The Rotary Club offered landscaping consultation to help the students lay out the path of interlocking outdoor tiles, surround it with black metal edging, and deposit rocks and shells into the remaining garden area.
On Saturday, the students and Riverhead Rotary Club members came together to install the garden. The path within the garden was made into the shape of a cancer ribbon.
The idea to build the rock and shell garden at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute originated with Rotary Club Secretary Kimberly Judd, who battled cancer with the help of the oncology and women’s health teams from Peconic Bay Medical Center and the Northwell Health Cancer Institute. She was motivated by her experiences to propose this initiative to the Interact Club, which was enthusiastically accepted.
“The Riverhead Central School District is incredibly proud of our students for their participation in this meaningful initiative,” Riverhead Central School District Interim Superintendent Cheryl Pedisich said. “When we uplift those around us with kindness and care—especially those who are dealing with difficult circumstances—the impact reverberates to elevate our entire community and to perpetuate a culture of compassion.”
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