Beloved Suffolk teacher walks 88 miles for retirement and UCP-LI fundraiser

Chris Polhemus turned his retirement into a countywide sendoff, setting out from Commack on an 88-mile walk to Montauk Point Lighthouse to raise money for United Cerebral Palsy of Long Island’s new independent living program.

Known for four decades of work with children with developmental disabilities, the 66-year-old physical education teacher spent the last 13 years at The Children’s Center in Commack, where his career became woven into daily life for students and families. The fundraiser was set at $10,000, with all money going directly toward building the new Independent Living Program at the center.

UCP-LI launched the walk as “Coach Chris’ Final Lesson” and invited supporters to the starting line Friday at 8:30 a.m. at The Children’s Center, 9 Smiths Lane in Commack. From there, Polhemus began a three-day trek across much of Suffolk County, ending at Montauk Point Lighthouse at the easternmost point of Long Island. The route gave his farewell a visible shape, carrying him from the center of the Island to its edge.

The Children’s Center serves more than 80 infants and children through age 22, offering year-round programs, screenings, evaluations, therapies, home- or center-based instruction, support groups and assistive technology services. Its school-age program serves children ages 5 to 22 and includes adaptive physical education, occupational therapy, speech/language therapy, specially designed instruction, evaluations, skilled nursing, social work, psychology, family training and vision services.

Polhemus’s walk also pointed to the broader network of services UCP-LI runs across Long Island. The organization provides residential services in 30 homes and says its mission is to advance independence, productivity and full citizenship for people with disabilities. The new independent living program at The Children’s Center is meant to extend that work, giving students and adults more support as they move toward greater self-sufficiency.

There was a symbolic fit to ending at Montauk. The lighthouse stands at Suffolk County’s farthest eastern point, and the journey from Commack placed Polhemus’s final public act of service across a map many local families know well. For an educator who spent 40 years in specialized service, the walk served as both goodbye and continuing commitment, linking a long teaching career to the next phase of care at UCP of Long Island.