Teen rallies Port Washington community in fundraising effort to fight cancer

Varsity athlete Alexa Benun has spent plenty of time on the track at Paul D. Schreiber High School, but this Saturday, the Port Washington teen will take part in a different kind of relay there in honor of her grandmother, who recently survived a battle with cancer.

Benun, 17, spent the last year organizing and fundraising in order to bring the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life back to Port Washington after a six-year hiatus.

The event will raise funds for cancer research and education, while also honoring survivors and memorializing those who died from the disease. Participants collect donations for the nonprofit and are encouraged to walk the track together.

Benun, a junior at the Port Washington high school, had the idea to revive the event after her grandmother, Mirta Seldman, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May 2021. After months of chemotherapy and surgery to remove lymph nodes, the 81-year-old Manhasset resident is in remission.

“My motivation was to do this is for her,” Benun said. “When I came across Relay for Life, I thought it would be perfect to do something for her and to do something for the community. I thought it would be a great way to reach everyone.”

Port Washington schools Superintendent Michael Hynes said the district is “incredibly proud” of Benun “for spearheading this student-led initiative” and “pleased to support such a meaningful cause.”

The Relay for Life movement started in 1985 and when Dr. Gordon “Gordy” Klatt walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington, to raise money for the American Cancer Society, according to the nonprofit. The event now is held around the world, including in thousands of communities nationwide.

Haley Huntington, a senior development manager with the American Cancer Society, has been working with Benun and her mother Denise Benun, 48, to bring the event to Port Washington.

The mother-daughter duo sent emails to attract local sponsors, attended civic organization meetings to spread the word about the event and made numerous phone calls to promote it. By Thursday, they had surpassed a $20,000 fundraising goal by nearly $2,000.

“I’m very grateful for Alexa and Denise, that they put their time and effort in planning this event,” Huntington said. 

Saturday's event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with an opening ceremony. Cancer survivors will then take the first lap around the track, including Seldman, who said the event will be meaningful for her.

“When Alexa and Denise told me that, I felt a lot of emotions,” she said, recalling when she learned of the event. “I felt very proud that Alexa had these values and wanted to dedicate the time and effort to do something like that.”

Seldman, who had a previous battle with breast cancer in 2010, credited her family for stepping in twice to become her caregivers as she fought the disease and dealt with side effects of chemotherapy.

“I tried to be comfortable, which was difficult,” she said. “Slowly, I recovered.”

Benun will step on the track with her grandmother and mother Saturday. They're expecting more than 100 participants at the event, which also will feature a survivor dinner and a luminaria dedication, which honors lost loved ones, survivors and those currently battling the disease.

“Hopefully,” said Denise Benun, “it continues year after year.”