The annual Mercy Benefit Concert—hosted–by Xanadu, (Walt Whitman High School’s literary magazine), and The Collective (the recording studio club)—showcased our district’s talented musicians and artists all for an important cause. Held at Walt Whitman High School on June 12th, all proceeds raised by the $5 concert admission are being donated to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission in Huntington Station. At least $3,500 was raised to add to the $10,000 the concert has raised for the Mission in the past few years.

The president of the Helping Hand Rescue Mission, Kim Gambino, attended the concert for the first time to enjoy the music and personally thank students for donating their time and money. “We can buy a lot of food with their donation. We can also help with housing; we have a couple of people that we've been helping recently. In fact, we had a lady this past week who was really struggling with a portion of her rent. It's great to be able to translate that money into food and direct help,” said Ms. Gambino.

While usually held "live on the lawn" outside the South Cafeteria, high temperatures brought this year's performances inside the air-conditioned space. The night featured a vibrant lineup of student and staff music and poetry, which was recorded by The Collective for an upcoming audio and video release. Year after year, this popular Whitman event truly showcases the creative talent, originality, and generosity of our students and staff who take the stage.

Walt Whitman English teacher and Xanadu advisor, Mr. Joseph Pipolo, created the Mercy concert back in the late 1990s to reflect the magazine’s mantra, “Creation is Activism." 

“As a teacher, every day I'm trying to inspire my students to have faith in their inner independent spirit,” said Mr. Pipolo. “If they trust the world to define them, they're going to be really sorry. The more they define themselves through how they create as an extension of themselves, the better. I'm talking about baking a cake, sewing a scarf, making a song, writing an essay, building a brick, building a shed, or writing a poem. Anything creative that you create and fix. The real act against violence and destruction in this world is not peace; it's creating. The more you create, the more you can oppose the terribleness.”

Thank you to Mr. Matt Hoffman, Mr. Vito Monti, Mr. Greg Modelewski, and Mr. Joseph Vetack for all the backstage and onstage support. Applause and appreciation for all our talented performers and to everyone who attended.

The community also owes a big thank you to Walt Whitman Class of 2011 alum Mallory Braun, owner of "The Next Chapter"  bookstore in Huntington, for sponsoring this creative and collaborative event. 

See photos from Mercy 2026 here.