Phillips Avenue Elementary School received $5,000 to purchase new school supplies, thanks to the generosity of Riverhead CAP President Brian Stark and former NFL player and Riverhead Blue Waves football star Ethan Greenidge.
Stark, a local businessman and ex-Riverhead High School coach, and Greenidge, a 2015 Riverhead graduate who attended Phillips Avenue Elementary School, have teamed up in the past to donate to the school.
This year, both men contributed $2,500 — a total of $5,000 — which will be used to purchase “all types of school supplies” for classrooms and individual students in need, Phillips Avenue Principal Stephen Hudson said.
“We are truly blessed with this community, with people that don’t forget that they were a part of this community — are still a part of this community,” Hudson said. “Our students and our staff are so grateful and so thankful to Mr. Stark [and] Mr. Greenidge are here and providing support to us.”
On Friday, Greenidge, who grew up in Flanders, visited the school and its students with his wife, Kalee, and their 7-month-old son, Judah. “He’s, like, 10 feet tall!” one student said out of Greenidge’s earshot. (The former offensive tackle is actually 6-foot-4.)
“It feels fantastic. Walking through those doors again, you get funny memories and stuff like that [from] when you were a kid,” Greenidge said of returning to his elementary school. “I think it’s always a pinnacle to give back. And for me, who I am has always been just giving — being a man of faith — and just instilling that into all the kids I can, all the people in the community I can.”
Riverhead CAP, which provides substance use prevention and counseling services to the school district, coordinated the donation. “To see it grow every year is so wonderful for these students and this community,” executive director Felicia Scocozza said.
“It’s a great day to give back,” said Stark, a longtime supporter of CAP.
“Teaching the kids to give back is very important,” he added, praising Greenidge for having “heeded the call.”
Greenidge confirmed he is “officially done playing football.”
“It was a blessing being able to play in the NFL. A blessing to be able to play for Riverhead, and being able to play for Villanova,” he said.
Greenidge was instrumental in the Blue Waves’ Suffolk County championship win in 2012 and 2013. He earned a football scholarship to Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where he met his wife. He signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2019 and made his NFL debut in 2020. An injury sidelined him before the 2021-22 season, and he spent two seasons on the injured reserve list. In 2023, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons but was injured again before the start of the season. Most recently, he played for the Arlington Renegades, a UFL team in Texas.
“I’m grateful to the game. It’s given me a lot,” Greenidge said. “And obviously it comes with bumps and bruises. Physically, mentally, there’s so much stuff to recover from.”
“But it’s such a beneficial sport to use to teach kids about discipline, teach kids about camaraderie and teamwork — and I think it’s so important,” he added. “I think I definitely encourage it. I wouldn’t shy away from it.”
Asked about future plans, Greenidge said he recently moved back to Pennsylvania, near Villanova. “We’re gonna figure it out from there,” he said.
Superintendent Robert Hagan said he is “so grateful that I’m in a community such as Riverhead,” where people like Greenidge and Stark continue to give back.
“They stay true to their roots and always think of the Blue Waves family as a place they want to be part of — and also ensure that the students growing up here have the very best,” Hagan said. “I’m very grateful for everybody that is helping and I really look forward to continue working with them in future.”
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