Warrior volleyball teams holding fundraiser on Sept. 30
THE WMHS varsity and JV girls’ volleyball teams will be taking part in the Be Bold, Be Gold fundraiser for childhood cancer research on Tuesday, Sept. 30 when the Warrior teams host Melrose at the Charbonneau Field House.
WAKEFIELD — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As a result, the Wakefield Memorial girls’ volleyball teams invites you to join them for the #Be Bold, Go Gold event on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the Charbonneau Field House. The JV match begins at 4 p.m., and varsity begins at 5:30 p.m. The Wakefield teams host Melrose.
All money raised will go to the Ronan Thompson Foundation, in memory of RockStar Ronan, and all of those who are currently fighting pediatric cancer, the survivors and those whom we have lost.
The foundation is challenging supporters to Be Bold and Go Gold by dressing up in gold and both the WMHS and Melrose girls’ volleyball teams will be decked out in gold.
At Tuesday’s matches, there will be raffles for prizes such as themed gift baskets to “a day of beauty” from some local salons. This charity is dear to Warriors Head Coach Nicole Trudeau. The Ronan Thompson Foundation has challenged people to Be Bold, Go Gold, which is what the Warriors will be doing at the match on Tuesday.
Childhood Cancer research is consistently underfunded. There is over $5 billion in government money that is allocated to fund cancer research — yet less than 4 percent is dedicated to childhood cancer research each year. In the last 20 years, only two drugs have been FDA approved for children’s cancers, whereas 23 are approved in one year for adult cancers.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States. The average age of diagnosis is 6 years old, and one in five children diagnosed with cancer will die within five years.
Twelve percent of children diagnosed with cancer do not survive, 74 percent of childhood cancer survivors have chronic illnesses and up to 40 percent of “survivors” will eventually die from the treatments. Radiation to a child’s brain can significantly damage cognitive function or, if radiation is given at a very young age, the damage can limit the ability to read, do basic math, tell time or even talk.
So, wear Gold, cheer for your team and support childhood cancer awareness. One hundred percent of proceeds go to the foundation at theronanthompsonfoundation.com/about/ronan.
