Kai Yee finally got the chance.
When Rocky Point Rotary presented the graduating senior with a $1,000 scholarship on July 21, he smiled and admitted he had always wanted to hold one of the oversized ceremonial checks.
The lighthearted moment marked the end of years of work that rarely drew attention.
Yee will attend Stony Brook University this fall, where he plans to study marine biology. Before graduation, one project stood above the rest.
Yee coordinated the club's Soles4Souls shoe drive, collecting bags of donated shoes from locations that included Longwood High School and transporting them to storage. The work wasn't glamorous. It meant lifting heavy bags, making repeated trips, and keeping the collection moving until every donation reached its destination.
The scholarship recognized more than a single project. It reflected a willingness to take responsibility for work that had to be done, even when the work happened out of sight.
The oversized check made for a memorable photograph.
The effort behind it was much less visible.
Photo: (left to right) Robert Woods, President, Rocky Point Rotary, Ed Henrichs, Longwood High School, Kai Yee, Dee Hensen, Scholarship Committee Chairperson, Rocky Point Rotary.