After more than 40 years as an adaptive physical education teacher—including the past 13 years at UCP-LI’s The Children’s Center—Coach Chris Polhemus recently completed his “Final Lesson” by walking 88 miles from Commack to the Montauk Lighthouse on June 1st.
As he prepared for retirement, Coach Chris didn’t want to simply end his career with a retirement party. Instead, he wanted to do something meaningful to honor the thousands of students and families he has supported throughout his career. His answer was an extraordinary four-day journey across Long Island that became much more than a walk—it became a community-wide movement.
The journey officially began on May 29th at UCP-LI’s The Children’s Center in Commack, where Coach Chris received an unforgettable sendoff. Students, staff, families, community supporters, friends, and loved ones gathered to cheer him on as he took his first steps toward the Montauk Lighthouse.
Over the course of four days, Coach Chris walked more than 222,000 steps before arriving at the Montauk Lighthouse, where supporters gathered to celebrate the completion of his remarkable journey. UCP-LI launched a daily social media campaign to allow supporters to experience the journey alongside Coach Chris every step of the way. Through daily “Coach Chris Cam” updates, followers received real-time reports on his progress, the miles he had completed, who was walking alongside him, and how he was feeling throughout the journey.
Students, families, staff members, alumni, friends, and community supporters followed the journey online and in person. What started as one man’s retirement fundraiser quickly became a shared experience for an entire community.
Coach Chris at the Montauk Lighthouse.
With fewer than six miles remaining, the Village of Montauk showed up in an incredible way. Local businesses and storefronts came outside to cheer him on, display handmade “Go Coach Chris” signs in their windows, offer high-fives, and celebrate his accomplishment.
The support continued all the way to the finish line. As Coach Chris entered the final stretch of his journey, UCP-LI President & CEO Colleen Crispino joined him for the last 2.5 miles of the walk to the Montauk Lighthouse. Upon arriving, Coach Chris was welcomed by his wife, family, friends, colleagues, supporters, and members of the Montauk Police Department, who gathered to celebrate the completion of his remarkable 88-mile journey.
Beyond celebrating Coach Chris’s retirement, the walk served a greater purpose and supported a fundraiser for a new Independent Living Program at UCP-LI’s The Children’s Center.
The community’s generosity has already helped us exceed our original fundraising goal of $10,000. To date, more than $12,000 has been raised, and donations continue to come in to support the program.