CHS students raise thousands to help fight cancer

Members of the CHS volleyball program gather for a photo at this year’s Making Strides walk. (Photo courtesy of CHS)

Fifteen years ago, Ed Amico decided to participate in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. The director of the Career Education and Community Service program and a guidance counselor at Canton High School, Amico had several reasons to get involved.

“One of my family members had cancer,” he said. “I thought it was a great cause and a way of giving back. I wanted to have the kids know they can give back.”

Amico’s daughter, Anna, now a volleyball and track coach at CHS, walked with her father. Twenty-two CHS students accompanied them.

Students at Canton High School have participated in Making Strides every year since that first walk with the Amicos. This year, over 200 students, all dressed in pink, filled five school buses that took them to the Hatch Shell on October 1. “It’s a sight to see,” Amico said.

As of October 19, the students had raised $17,735, putting them over the $90,000 mark for their 15 years of walking and on pace to reach the $100,000 milestone by next year.

One of those participants is CHS sophomore Shawn Burns, who gave a brief speech about his reasons for walking during the kick-off ceremony at the Westin Hotel in Boston on August 3.

“My grandmother had breast cancer when I was little and she passed away [in 2009],” Burns explained. “I did the walk last year and then this year.”

This year, Burns managed to collect more than $5,000 through a variety of fundraising methods. Promoting his cause through the “Real Men Wear Pink” campaign, he organized a dining out fundraiser at the Norwood Jake n’ Joes Sports Grille, which donated 20 percent of the proceeds to Making Strides. He also solicited gift card donations from several local businesses that he raffled off during the evening. Donors included Center Pizza, D&E Pizza and Subs, Stone L’Oven Pizza, Salon Monique, Elizabeth Grady, and Waterfall Bar & Grille.

CHS sophomore Shawn Burns raised more than $5,000 through a variety of fundraisers.

In addition to the dining out fundraiser, Burns designed and sold t-shirts, received donations from fire departments in Canton, Sharon, Norwood and Mansfield, and asked family and friends to support him.

“It makes me feel pretty good,” he said of his fundraising efforts.

“I’m so proud of him,” said his mother, Christina Daly. “He has worked so hard on everything he’s ever done.”

Sophomore Kerstin Hansen, 16, walked this year for the second time. “My neighbor had breast cancer. I felt that it was a good idea to walk, to be involved,” she said. “My soccer team walks it every year.”

Hansen raised $1,000 by asking family and friends for donations and through a link that her father posted on his Facebook page.

Sophomore Emma Cunningham, 15, got involved as a freshman when she learned that walking at Making Strides was part of community life at CHS. She also walked for a personal reason.

“I know several people with breast cancer,” she said. “I was really excited to do it. It meant a lot to me to walk and raise awareness.”

Last year Cunningham walked with the soccer team and this year as a member of the cross country team. She raised $750 by asking family and friends for donations.

Several of the students who walk do so with a team or club. Walking as a group this year were the cross country, volleyball, field hockey, girls soccer and fall cheerleading teams as well as the CHS drama club.

“It’s pretty cool,” Amico said. “The kids do a fantastic job.”

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Oct 27 2017. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.