In a joint effort, The Maurer Foundation and Sachem School District garnered funds for breast health education during the “Shoot for the Cure” basketball game series held on Saturday, February 16. Despite having been postponed from its original date due to the winter storm, the event was a great success and resulted in over $13,000 raised. We thank the school district for providing 100% of all proceeds to the foundation, supporting our breast health programs.
Sachem’s girls basketball teams drew a large crowd to Sachem High School East, where they played friendly games throughout the day. Representatives from the foundation were on site to discuss early detection, breast self-exams, nutrition, breast cancer myths and risk factors.
The Maurer Foundation was also an integral part to Sachem’s Think Pink Day, which was observed on February 7 and 8, prior to the “Shoot for the Cure” event. Our educators provided breast health workshops for 550 students in 13 health classes, teaching them about breast cancer risk factorsAnything that increases or decreases a person’s chance of developing a disease., healthy lifestyle choices, and proper exam techniques.
“We are very fortunate to have The Maurer Foundation come to Sachem High School East to speak with our students about cancer prevention; especially breast cancer,” said health teacher Patricia Broderick. “Since medicine works in the realm of disease management, it is nice to be able to offer our students and families information on prevention. I want to thank the ladies of The Maurer Foundation for their efforts.”
Heritage Day featured an assortment of highlights symbolic of the cause. The building’s walls were adorned with pink paper basketballs, sorted by school, that were purchased for $1 each and accounted for $3,000 of the total $13,000 raised. Pink shirts were sold, pink hair extensions were offered in exchange for donations, and members of the football team generously volunteered their time to sell refreshments and raffle tickets for over 100 items. Additionally, a number of attendees kindly made donations to the Foundation and sported pink attire as a sign of support.
“There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and participation from all levels of the school,” stated Maurer Foundation Executive Director Debbie Hecht. “This was a great event supported by health teachers, coaches of both the girls basketball team and boys football team, the Athletic Director, the teachers, the students who ran the event and played, and all of the spirited fans.”
This is the second year the district has supported the foundation, by incorporating our breast health workshops into a unique school-wide three-day event of awareness and fundraising. Sachem’s 2012 Think Pink and Heritage Days took place February 3–4 and also raised substantial funds for our life-saving mission.
We extend a special thanks to Superintendent of Schools James J. Nolan; Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health Services Pete Blieberg; and Sachem’s Girls Basketball Coach and friend of the foundation, Risa Zander.
Your school can host a similar event! We welcome any opportunity to coordinate school educational fundraisers like Sachem’s. Our events not only benefit an important cause, but also bring communities, businesses, friends, and other groups together for fun, enjoyable activities in which everyone can be involved. Learn more about hosting a Maurer Foundation fundraiser and check out other fundraisers we’ve held. Contact us and together we can organize an outreach effort that promises to be a great and rewarding time.