Throughout the month of October, various sports teams at Westwood Regional Junior/Senior High School have been raising and donating money to help find a cure for Breast Cancer, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Both the Girls’ cheerleading and volleyball teams organized major fundraising events in order to donate towards Breast Cancer.  Each team earned a majority of their donation money through clothing fundraisers, where almost all of the proceeds went towards the cause.

Senior and captain cheerleader, Gina Battaglia, organized the “Westwood Cheers for a Cure” clothing fundraiser.  The Junior Varsity and Varsity team altogether sold 372 shirts at $15 each, donating $2,500 to the Susan G. Koman Foundation.  Battaglia said, “I couldn’t believe how much of a success the fundraiser was and that we got so much support from everyone.  It was a great feeling to know that we raised so much money to support a great cause.”

The Westwood student body supported the cause on Oct. 5, at the home football game against Cliffside Park by wearing these shirts.  The Cardinal Crazies organized a “pink out” in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and many fans supported the cause.

The freshman, junior varsity, and varsity volleyball teams each participated in a clothing fundraiser, where over half of the proceeds were donated to the American Cancer Society.  The teams raised over $600 total for the cause.  Coach Moroney, the varsity coach, said, “I wanted the team to do something good and make a difference.  We’ve had past players with family members who were diagnosed with Breast Cancer and other cancers, so I thought that donating money to support the cause was the perfect opportunity.”

The junior varsity and varsity teams both participated in a “Spike Out Breast Cancer” fundraiser held in Ridgefield Park on Oct. 2.  This fundraiser influenced the Westwood team to hold its own “Spike Out Breast Cancer” game, which was held on Oct. 16, against Dumont.  The varsity team went to three matches, and won the game.

The team charged fans one dollar for admission, held a bake sale, and had additional containers for people to donate extra money.  From this event, the team raised over $400, totaling over $1,000 in donations towards the American Cancer Society.  Capitan, Rebecca Matasker, said, “It was a great thing to do for an organization in need.  It was amazing to see everyone come out to support a cause and the team.

In addition, various other fall sports teams showed their support throughout the month by wearing pink, the symbol of breast cancer.  Westwood football wore pink socks and tape to each game.  Westwood girl’s soccer and cheerleading wore pink ribbons to their games.  Westwood volleyball wore pink shoelaces and ribbons to their games.  Westwood girl’s and boy’s cross-country teams wore pink shoelaces and headbands to their meets, and field hockey represented their pink shirts and balls to show their support as well.

It is great to see all the Westwood fall sports teams supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Keep up the good work!