NY Islander Set To Help LI Kids Say 'No' To Drugs

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RIVERHEAD, NY — A sports hero is set to help students fight back against drugs and alcohol: New York Islanders winger and 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Kyle Palmieri will lead the 38th Annual Riverhead Community Awareness, or CAP, "Say NO to Drugs" March.

The event takes place on June 6, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in front of the Pulaski Street School. The march will head south on Roanoke Avenue, then west on 2nd Street past Town Hall, returning to Pulaski via Griffing and Hallett Avenues. Following the march, there will be a brief ceremony on the steps of Pulaski. After the ceremony, the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1742 will once again generously serve a picnic lunch to all students and guests, CAP said.

"We are excited to have Kyle Palmieri lead this year’s CAP March," said Felicia Scocozza, CAP’s executive director. "His dedication, determination, and mission to give back to the community makes him a wonderful role model for our youth and community."

A Long Island native, Palmieri has spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils, and the New York Islanders. He has recorded 527 points, made up of 270 goals and 257 assists. He is one of just 22 active American skaters to appear in at least 900 career NHL games, CAP said.

Palmieri represented the United States at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, the Men’s World Championships in 2012, and the World Junior Championships in 2010 and 2011, where he won a gold medal in 2010, Scocozza said.

The winger is a former first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, going 26th overall, and played Division I college hockey at the University of Notre Dame. Palmieri has also appeared in 68 career Stanley Cup playoff games, tallying 32 points—18 goals and 14 assists—and helped the Islanders reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2021, CAP said.

Off the ice, Palmieri is a dedicated member of the Long Island community, Scocozza said. He and his wife, Ashlee, founded The Kyle Palmieri Foundation, driven by a mission to give back to active and veteran service members and their families. The foundation supports military nonprofits and brings veterans to New York Islanders home games free of charge.

Since 1983, Riverhead CAP, a nonprofit organization, has provided drug and alcohol prevention, education, and counseling programs for the Riverhead Central School District. CAP is best known for its two-year prevention program serving over 800 fifth- and sixth-grade students in Pulaski Street School each year. The "Too Good for Drugs "program, taught by community volunteers and student peer leaders, concludes with the annual Say NO to Drugs March.

Although the goal of the program is to prevent and delay underage drinking and drug use in youth, its evidence-based foundation is rooted in building self-esteem, setting achievable goals, and increasing healthy decision-making skills, CAP said.