GRACE Foundation and Staten Island high school beak Guinness World record for largest human infinity symbol

The GRACE Foundation broke a Guinness World Record for creating the largest human infinity symbol for a second-year-in-a-row to raise awareness of autism. 

GRACE, a Staten Island nonprofit dedicated to individuals and families impacted by autism spectrum disorder, partnered with St. Joseph by the Sea, a local high school, to break the record with the help of 1,540 participants. GRACE held the previous record with 998 participants at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park by the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

The latest record achieved on Jan. 26 brought together 1,200 students, faculty, and staff at the Catholic high school to join in the event, along with several local nonprofit organizations. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Assemblyman Mike Reilly and City Council Member David Carr also joined in to form the infinity symbol on the school’s football field.

The original idea for creating the largest human infinity symbol came from GRACE’s executive director Cathy Del Priore and the foundation team. “Autism is something that is never going away,” Del Priore said. “It’s one in 36. I did some research and I stumbled across the world’s largest puzzle piece … And I thought, we can do this!”

But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the event was put aside, picking up again last April for the first record.

Finding a place for this event came easily for the Foundation. Anthony Rapacciuolo, the owner of PRCision LLC, suggested St. Joseph by the Sea, not only because of its football field but because of the school’s Institute for Scientific Research, which studies the environmental causes of developmental disorders, including autism.

“They’re conducting research in the research facility that they have,” Rapacciuolo says. “It was a nice fit and it was a way the two came together.”

Rev. Michael Reilly, the school’s principal, expressed pride over the students who participated in the record-breaker. “They’ve made history alongside The GRACE Foundation and demonstrated their commitment to our community and this is something that they will carry with them forever,” he said in a statement. 

The new record also caught the attention of actor Dennis Quaid, who will feature the event on his syndicated show “View Point with Dennis Quaid.” The program will air in April, in time for Autism Awareness Month. 

After record-breaking human symbols two years in a row, what will the GRACE Foundation do next year? Del Priore laughs. “We’re trying to figure out what we can break, we’re trying to find a symbol,” she said. “We do want to break a record, we’re just not sure what that would be yet.”