More than pink

MacArthur H.S. tackles breast cancer

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Pink washed over MacArthur High School’s football field on Oct. 14, as ribbons, balloons and sparkling decorations lined the fence and bleachers. Dozens of students, faculty and Wantagh, Seaford and Levittown residents wore shirts in various shades of the color as well, all in support of Pink Out — the Generals’ annual breast cancer awareness football game and fair. 

Pink Out is much more than one game, though,  say Nicole Savage and Tammy Mayer, breast cancer survivors and the teachers who organize the event. Throughout October, students, faculty and staff rally around the cause and raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. “I just want the kids to know that it’s much more than just wearing pink shirts and pink socks,” Savage said. “It’s about the meaning behind [it].”

Since the first Pink Out in 2012, the MacArthur community has raised more than $60,000 for Komen, which Savage said focuses on various causes (such as promoting early cancer detection, assisting institutions like Nassau University Medical Center and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and helping people without health insurance get mammograms). Funds were also raised in prior to the Pink Out football game and the Dig Pink volleyball match, held on Oct. 13 this year. 

Savage explained that Pink Out was planned to coincide with a Friday night football games because of its popularity with the community. So many local folks are affected by breast cancer, school officials said, that the Pink Out game is one of the most attended events of the academic year. “It’s like a second Homecoming,” MacArthur Principal Joseph Sheehan said. “This is just a great way for everyone to come together.”

Many were inspired by Savage and Mayer’s stories as five- and 10-year survivors, respectively. Komen named the MacArthur teachers Survivors of the Year this fall for their commitment to raising funds and awareness.

Mayer said she believed the honor belonged not to the twosome, but rather, to the entire community, which showed them love and support. More than anything, she explained, Pink Out is about helping others. “We just want people to know that it’s OK if you have breast cancer,” she said. “The support is overwhelming, and everyone is dedicated to helping out.”

Football game attendees visited booths and tents offering information about early detection; bid on raffle baskets packed with prizes from local businesses and sponsors such as JetBlue; purchase apparel or breast cancer awareness-themed pumpkins, decorated by students in the National Art Honor Society; and ate at the snack shack. 

One day before Pink Out, the girls’ varsity volleyball team held a separate breast cancer awareness game. The students played a friendly match against faculty members in the gym for bragging rights. Everyone involved sported pink T-shirts, and the team raised money by selling baked goods and raffles. 

But games aren’t the only place that MacArthur student organizations raised money for breast cancer charities during this awareness-themed month. For more than 10 years, the varsity cheerleading team has sold pink hair extensions to students, staff and the community. 

Lisa Nessler, a teacher who has coached the team for more than a decade, worked one-on-one with Salon Fringe representatives in Amityville to make the fundraiser happen. The hair professionals came to the school and crafted extensions for anyone in the building who wanted to wear them during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Cheerleaders also sold the hair pieces for $10 during lunch periods. All proceeds go to charities such as Komen. 

Initially, Nessler noted, only a few students participated in the campaign. But with each passing year, more teens sported pink hair in MacArthur’s halls. “This benefits the community because it brings everyone together for one cause,” Nessler said.  “I think this impacts a lot of people.”

Cheerleaders said they had fun raising money for the cause and getting other students involved. Gianna Spinelli, a senior and a first-year cheerleader, said she promotes awareness in small ways by wearing pink every Friday in October and donning pink socks and bows for football games. “My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 7,” she said. “Wearing pink helps to show support to the families who have to deal with this disease.”

Captain Kristina Holmes, a senior, said the breast cancer fundraisers and awareness programs have educated her about the disease. “On the morning announcements, we show special videos for the cause, and it makes you realize how many are affected on a local level,” she explained.

Assistant Coach Erica Meaney said the team and staff are always honored to do what they can to help those affected by breast cancer. Sheehan also noted that fundraisers like these have had a positive effect on the community. “We take all of these causes very seriously here,” he said. “When you have not only a staff that has a passion but also students who piggyback on that passion, it spreads to other communities as well.”