By Abby Shaw and Carly Stone
Staff Writers
Breast Cancer effects far too many people throughout life. As we wrap up October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, we truly recognize the love and support throughout communities around the world like the one surrounding Jamesville-DeWitt High School. Between races, fundraisers, and community-uniting functions, J-DHS has worked to support local sufferers so they don’t have to go face the disease alone.
To begin the month, J-DHS’s senior class held their fourth annual Pink-Out which aims to raise money for Breast Cancer research. Led by Corporate Communitcations teachers Terri Eaton and Kristin Hardy, the class raised around $3,000 by selling out all of the ordered t-shirts. The Pink-Out event took place on Oct. 10 and even extended into the final home Varsity Football team. “The atmosphere was great,” said Ms. Hardy, who enjoyed the fact that many of the football players actually wore their pink out shirts under their equiptment to support the cause even while they played. “The game wasn’t a requirement, the students came on their own,” added Hardy, who was one of the many surprised by the turnout. The most successfull Pink Out fundraisier in school history extended not only to shirts at school and the game, but students could also buy tattoos, beads, and other decorations to wear in support of the cause on Oct. 10.
Both the Umoja and Spanish National Honor Society groups also worked to raise money by asking for donations from family and friends for cancer foundations that work to find a cure. Together, the groups walked in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Downtown Syracuse, NY. The students walked in honor of Spanish teacher Maria DeJesus’s aunt. Sra. DeJesus’s aunt, Daisy Nojam, who is like a mother to DeJesus, was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer, but is now recovering.
Since the beginning of both Sra. DeJesus and Mrs. Nojam’s struggle, the school has worked to support them both. The overwhelming outpoor of support made Sra. DeJesus realize that J-DHS is “a powerful community that comes together for someone they have never even met.” This year’s past walk was also another record breaker for J-DHS. The clubs and staff together raised $8,000 and created the largest team they’ve ever had walk.
Sra. DeJesus is not the only faculty memeber to face this struggle in the J-DHS community. With so many local people effected, the community knows how important it is to take time and support those who really need it and that is one thing the J-DHS community has no problem doing.