Greg Sill’s Legacy Brews Support for Smithtown Students

More than 150 golfers, friends and family members gathered at Wind Watch Golf and Country Club in Hauppauge for the fifth annual Greg Sill Foundation Golf Outing, raising money to support scholarships for Smithtown students.

The event honors Greg Sill, a longtime Smithtown High School West history teacher who died in March 2021. The outing was organized by Sill’s wife, Elizabeth; daughters Emily, Isabella and Natalie; and Smithtown High School West social studies and special education teacher and coach Ashley Marchese.

Following Sill’s death, Elizabeth started a GoFundMe campaign that helped establish the Greg Sill “Be the Coffee Bean” Memorial Fund. The foundation now awards $5,000 scholarships each year to one graduating senior from Smithtown High School East and one from Smithtown High School West. It also awards a $1,500 scholarship to an English Language Learner student.

The Sill family is now expanding its fundraising efforts with March 73, a coffee company expected to launch this winter. Named for Greg’s birthday, the company draws its inspiration from a message he often shared with students: “Be the coffee bean.”

“My dad told a lot of students about being the coffee bean,” Natalie said. “When you’re put in hot water, change the environment around you and spread your positivity, spread your flavor and turn into coffee.”

The idea encourages people to respond to difficult circumstances by positively influencing the world around them.

Proceeds from every bag of March 73 coffee will benefit the memorial fund, providing another way for the family to continue supporting local students.

Through the annual golf outing, scholarships and new coffee company, the Sill family hopes to keep Greg’s message of positivity and generosity alive while helping students throughout the Smithtown community.