Organizer wants to tell cancer to ‘go fly a kite’

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Jennett Meriden Russell said she envisions hundreds of people lined up along the sand on Fire Island, all flying diverse and beautiful kites in honor of those who have lost their battles with cancer.

She hopes to take the final step in realizing that longtime dream when the inaugural “Amazedness Kite Fly” kicks off on Sunday, September 20, at noon, at the Smith Point County Park Pavilion in Shirley. The entry fee is $5 per person; there is no charge for children under the age of 5.

The fund-raiser, which runs until 4 p.m., will benefit cancer research. The event, Ms. Russell said, will be her way of “telling cancer to go fly a kite.”

In the 1960s, Ms. Russell’s father, Kurt Russell, then a disc jockey for WIND radio in Chicago, introduced her to the world of kite flying. She said that some of her fondest memories from childhood are from kite fly events sponsored by her father’s radio stations.

“Kites were just a thing in my family,” said Ms. Russell who now lives in Coram and is a cartoonist and writer for The Press News Group.

After her father died in 1978, a year after suffering a massive stroke that left him in a coma, Ms. Russell said her older brother Dana took up flying expensive sport kites. Her father was 48. She described her brother as an extremely intelligent man and a person who was fascinated with everything about the world, including a tumor that was growing in his brain. The tumor killed him in 2000, at the age of 46.

“Nobody gets away from this stupid disease,” Ms. Russell said.

She explained that she is organizing the inaugural kite fly, which she hopes will evolve into an annual event, in memory of both her father and brother.

During Sunday’s event, kites that people can purchase and decorate before launching will be on sale for $10 each. Ms. Russell said she will also be collecting donations from attendees.

She is encouraging attendees to learn how to design and build their own kites so that they can be judged in a contest. The kites—which will be dubbed “soaring spirits” in honor of those who lost their battle with cancer—will be judged in the following categories: largest kite; smallest kite; prettiest kite; scariest kite; and highest-flying kite.

“It’s a fun thing for the creative mind,” she said.

Ms. Russell also noted that the concession stand at Smith Point County Park will be open at that time so participants can purchase snacks.

Corporate sponsorship is also available for $50, according to Ms. Russell. All proceeds, including money collected from kite sales and contest entries, will benefit the American Cancer Society.

She said that she took the name “amazedness” from her late brother’s e-mail moniker. Toward the end of her brother’s life, Ms. Russell said that he could not speak, but could type with his left hand and would often communicate via e-mail.

While holding a ship-shaped kite near Smith Point County Park on a recent sunny afternoon, Ms. Russell could not get the contraption, which she described as more of a “fashion kite” than an “action kite,” off the ground. She lamented the fact that she did not have any of her brother’s sport kites readily available and said that she hopes to have better luck during the event later weekend.

Still, she said she was very thankful that she had some guidance during the organization process, which included securing a permit from Suffolk County. She said she received assistance from local cancer survivors and the family members of survivors. In fact, she enlisted the help of some of the players involved with the Center Moriches Relay for Life. Miriam Gillies, the founder of that event, explained that her fund-raiser is held every June and proceeds also benefit cancer research.

“They just came out of one major event,” Ms. Russell said of Ms. Gillies and her co-organizers. “Now they’ve turned around and helped me.”

Ms. Gillies helped found the Center Moriches Relay for Life in 2001. As part of that fund-raiser, teams collect donations in exchange for having at least one member of their squad continuously walk around a running track for 12 hours. Team members collect donations before the event.

Having no prior experience organizing an event of that magnitude prior to 2001, Ms. Gillies said she understands all the obstacles Ms. Russell had to overcome to pull the kite fly together.

“This is a big undertaking,” she said.

Ms. Gillies, who is a cancer survivor herself, lost her husband Bill to lung cancer in 2001.

She added that she is impressed that Ms. Russell was able to do so much in such a short period of time. Ms. Gillies said Ms. Russell was even able to convince local musician Jay Scott and the Michael Jazz Trio to donate their time and perform during the event.