Have been raising funds since August
Published in the October 30, 2015 edition.
WAKEFIELD — October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and, as the month draws to close, it should be noted that the Wakefield Memorial High School cheerleaders having been doing their part.
Wakefield has been raising money by participating in the Cheer for Dana-Farber and The Jimmy Fund.
Basically, any type of cheer team has the option of registering for this fundraiser whether it be a high school, middle school or Pop Warner team. At WMHS, it registered for the event in August and spent time throughout the entire season raising money for the organization. These fundraisers are solely for Dana-Farber.
Wakefield has participated in this the last two years, raising around $8,000 each year. Since Wakefield’s numbers have been so high, it has been eligible to attend a cheer camp hosted by the Patriots Cheerleaders. Wakefield’s cheerleaders really enjoy being a part of this and giving back to others said coach Marissa Kelleher.
The fundraiser officially kicked off in August and will conclude on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26. Participating cheer teams received online fundraising pages, T-shirts, banners, collection canisters and posters.
To participate in Cheer for Dana-Farber, cheerleading teams fundraise in their local communities through car washes, bake sales, canister collections and more. There is no minimum fundraising requirement but teams are required to register each year.
All teams that raise $1,000 or more will be entered into a drawing for the four grand prizes — a chance to perform a cheerleading routine prior to the Dec. 20 New England Patriots game against the Tennessee Titans. Each additional $1,000 raised earns teams an additional ticket entered into the drawing. The top nine fundraising teams will be invited to a special cheer clinic Saturday, Dec. 12 run by the New England Patriots Cheerleaders at the Field House at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.
Since the program began in 2013, more than 160 teams have raised over $154,000. To learn more about Cheer for Dana-Farber, please visit: cheerfordanafarber.org.
