Schools-

Valley Stream Central H.S. holds Go Pink Fair

Annual event raises money for breast cancer research

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Students donned pink shirts, hats, costumes — even hair — for Valley Stream Central High School’s annual Go Pink Fun Fair on Oct. 16 to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“We had a great turnout and students had a lot of fun,” said Lisa Rutigliano, a science teacher and one of the event’s organizer’s.

Students in t-shirts with the event’s “Keep Calm and Pink On” slogan milled around in the school’s gymnasium for nearly two hours, where student clubs set up booths that featured a host of activities, including a photo booth, video games, cupcake sales, a pink salon, Zumba, musical chairs and hula hooping. Students also created a banner covered with their signatures that about 75 local residents marched with at the Jones Beach Breast Cancer Walk at Field 4 on Oct. 18.

Rutigliano said more than $2,700 was raised for the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer campaign, an initiative by the American Cancer Society that the organization calls the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the country, according to its website.

Rutigliano said donations were still coming in last week after both events.

Physical education teacher Britt Klein and special education teacher and activity director Jennifer Buonagurio also organized the fair.

One of the school’s faculty is a breast cancer survivor and several students have parents who have been impacted by the disease, Rutigliano said.