A new walking trail in Commack offers cancer survivors and their families a place to walk, reflect and remember. At one point along the path, a survivor can ring a bell to mark completing treatment. Valmont Survivors Park opened at Valmont Park on Oct. 7, turning a local family’s idea into a shared community space.
The project began with Thomas Morrissey, who told News 12 Long Island that he first imagined the park about three years ago while supporting his wife, Gina, through breast cancer treatment. Their idea took shape through conversations with town and community leaders, then moved into planning and construction at Valmont Park.
The Town of Smithtown’s October 2024 announcement described the park’s early phase and the community support behind it. St. Catherine of Siena Hospital provided $50,000, which the town matched, and Morgan Stanley contributed another $5,000 toward the initial phase. The town then described a ribbon-shaped path as the project’s symbolic entrance. The sign unveiling took place on Oct. 28, 2024, almost two years before the park opened.
On Oct. 7, Suffolk County Legislator Sal Formica announced the unveiling at Valmont Park, and News 12 reported from the ribbon-cutting. The completed space includes a winding path, trees, benches and a bell that survivors can ring after finishing treatment. The trail is shaped like a cancer-awareness ribbon, linking the park’s design to the cause that inspired it.
The park’s roots are in breast-cancer awareness, but the dedication reaches beyond one diagnosis. Formica’s announcement describes a place for breast cancer survivors and everyone affected by the disease, while Thomas Morrissey told News 12 that survivors of all cancers are welcome. Families and people remembering loved ones are part of the intended community, too.
For Gina Morrissey, a breast cancer survivor, seeing the finished park carried personal meaning. She told News 12, “I find peace here, comfort and hope.” Her experience was part of the reason the project was created, but the park is intended to be used by neighbors with different experiences and at different points in life.
The bell is one specific milestone within a broader walking trail: a survivor can ring it after finishing treatment. Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said officials intentionally chose a passive park setting as a quiet place for survivors, families and people remembering loved ones. The county’s announcement describes those groups as intended visitors.
The opening follows a longer community effort. In 2024, the town described the project as a permanent tribute and reflection space, with the first phase beginning from the initial donations. By the Oct. 7 unveiling, the proposal had become a place visitors could walk through. That timeline matters because the park was not a one-day announcement: residents, organizations and town staff helped carry an idea into a public setting.
News 12 reports that Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim said the park should recognize survivors throughout the year. He said, “These folks should be supported all the time, not just during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” The site also offers commemorative bricks as a way for community members to participate. Organizers hope future fundraising will benefit local families facing cancer-related challenges; that is a stated hope, not a report that funds have already been distributed.
Formica’s announcement thanked the Smithtown Parks Department staff who helped make the project possible. News 12 reported that local groups, including the Commack Community Alliance and Catholic Health, supported the project. The early funding described by the town and the later opening show several parts of the community contributing to a place meant to remain available after the ribbon-cutting is over.
The county’s announcement describes the trail as a memorial as well as a walking route, and says each step is intended to represent hope, perseverance and remembrance. News 12’s report documents the path, bell and benches and includes accounts from survivors and local officials. Together, the sources describe the site as a shared community space as well as a personal tribute.
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