Talent Show At Huntington HS To Benefit Cancer Charity, Rachel's Dance For The Cure

HUNTINGTON, NY — The Huntington High School Key Club's 14th annual K-Factor Talent Show will benefit Rachel's Dance for the Cure, a pediatric cancer charity.

This year's show is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, May 2.

Tickets are $10 at the door. Rachel's Dance for the Cure will use the proceeds to help families who have a child facing a cancer diagnosis at Stony Brook University Hospital.

The event originated when Key Club raised money to support Kaila Harlan, a Huntington High School class of 2009 graduate who was fighting leukemia, said Aimee Antorino, founder of Rachel's Dance for the Cure.

Key Club, along with the help of students, staff, and local Huntington residents, rallied for Harlan's cause and raised almost $10K for her procedure. The show was named after her and soon became a Huntington High School tradition.

Harlan died two years later, but the show has continued in her memory. All proceeds were given to Relay For Life.

In 2016, Antorino's 12-year-old daughter, Rachel Antorino, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Rachel was a student at Commack Middle School when she was diagnosed. For two years, the K-Factor talent show ran to support Rachel through her treatment. Rachel died in 2018.

Rachel Antorino attended K-Factor when she was a little girl, her mother, Aimee said.

"She loved watching the students sing and dance on stage and helped us prepare for the event behind the scenes," Aimee told Patch. "When Rachel was diagnosed with leukemia, Key Club honored her and raised money for leukemia as Rachel watched the livestream event from the hospital. When Rachel passed away and I started Rachel's Dance for the Cure, Key Club helped us honor the patients at Stony Brook where Rachel received her treatment. All proceeds go to Rachel's Dance for the Cure so we are able to financially assist SB patients and their families."

Click here to read a Q&A with Rachel's Dance for the Cure.