Steven Llorens, of Douglas Elliman Bayside, helped to organize a charity relay covering parts of New York City and Long Island in October to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) to combat breast cancer.
An ambassador for ACS’s Real Men Wear Pink team, Llorens and the rest of the participants walked in a relay that spanned around 140 miles from Oct. 20 to 27.
As of the end of October, Real Men Wear Pink has raised more than $8,200 thanks to this relay. While the relay has since concluded, Real Men Wear Pink is still accepting donations. Llorens is optimistic that the organization will reach its $10,000 goal before the end of the year.
Those that took part in this relay were allowed to walk, run or cycle their way along. Throughout this journey, the group would often stop at local landmarks and try to promote their cause. According to Llorens, a couple of the group’s stops included Citi Field and the Big Duck on Long Island.
Llorens stated that Douglas Elliman has long supported ACS. He said he was inspired to create this inaugural relay after hearing about Paul Gruol, a Nassau County resident who decided to walk more than 130 miles along a similar path from Montauk to New York City after his wife passed away from breast cancer. At the end of the relay, Llorens and the other participants met Gruol at the ACS Hope Lodge Jerome L. Greene Family Center in New York City. Gruol told his story, discussing how his wife’s battle with breast cancer inspired him to do the relay.
Gruol also told Llorens how impressed he was with the number of participants in the relay. Including Llorens, there were a total of nine people who went through the entire relay. Assuming this relay becomes an annual event, Llorens hopes to see that number grow next year.
“I think by all accounts [the relay] was a success,” Llorens said. “We definitely raised a lot of awareness. I hope to make this an annual event. It’s incredible to see the outpouring of love and I was happy to see how many people showed up to support us.”
Llorens also said he was really inspired by the rest of his relay team for their dedication to the cause. He felt this event also made for a great team-building exercise among the participants.
While it hasn’t been announced yet whether or not this relay will become an annual event, based on the amount of money raised to fight breast cancer so far, Llorens is optimistic that Douglas Elliman will support it again. For now, he’s still focusing on reaching the $10,000 goal before the end of 2022, which is well within reach.
