Islanders All-Star to lead CAP march next Friday

New York Islanders All-Star Kyle Palmieri will lead Riverhead CAP’s 38th Annual Say NO to Drugs March next Friday.

A Long Island native, Palmieri has spent 16 seasons in the National Hockey League with the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and the Islanders, recording 527 points (270 goals and 257) assists. He is one of just 22 active American skaters to appear in at least 900 career NHL games. 

Palmieri represented the United States at the World Cup of Hockey (2016), Men’s World Championships (2012), and World Junior Championships (2010, 2011), where he won a gold medal in 2010. The winger is a former first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft (26th overall) and played Division I college hockey at the University of Notre Dame (2009-10). Palmieri has also appeared in 68 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games, tallying 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists), and helped the Islanders reach the Eastern Conference Final in 2021. 

Off the ice, Palmieri is a dedicated member of the Long Island community. 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. 

“We are excited to have Kyle Palmieri lead this year’s CAP March,”  CAP’s Executive Director Felicia Scocozza said in a press release announcing the event. “His dedication, determination, and mission to give back to the community make him a wonderful role model for our youth and community.”

Since 1983, the Riverhead Community Awareness Program, 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 graders 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 every June. 

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. 

The 38th Annual Say NO to Drugs March begins at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, June 6, in front of Pulaski Street School; heads south on Roanoke Avenue, then west on Second Street past Town Hall, returning to Pulaski Street School via Griffing and Hallett avenues. 

Following the march, there will be a brief ceremony on the steps of Pulaski Street School. After the ceremony, the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1742 will once again generously serve a picnic lunch to all students and guests.