John G. Dinklemeyer Elementary School hosted its annual Gold Day on the last Friday of September, wrapping up Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month.
Each year, students across the North Bellmore School District wear gold shirts in honor of children fighting cancer. This year, the day carried extra meaning.
One Dinklemeyer student, Vincent Aglio, has been battling leukemia for the past two years and is expected to complete treatment in February before beginning remission care. The school dedicated this year’s initiative to him as he nears the end of his fight.
Principal Danica Brugge said Gold Day took on new significance after the school learned of Vincent’s diagnosis in October 2023.
“Everything we do does go back to our mission statement, with students contributing to the global community with compassion and creativity,” she said. “I think that when we honor days like this, that's our hope — to see the world that we live in and have a vision for that.”
She added that the mission’s values of perseverance and empathy are embodied in Vincent.
“When we think about perseverance, that’s who he is,” Brugge said.
The community has rallied around Vincent and his family, organizing meal trains, donating board games and toys to the NYU Langone Cancer Center for Kids at Winthrop, and even arranging a birthday parade through the nonprofit Smiles Through Cars.
For the first time, Gold Day shirts were offered to the broader community in addition to students and faculty. With the help of 10 parent volunteers, more than 200 shirts were created and sold, raising $934 for Vincent’s treatment center.
Vincent’s mother, Gina Aglio, said the support has been overwhelming.
“I’m not surprised about how North Bellmore shows up, because I have been a North Bellmore resident my entire life,” she said. “So, it does not surprise me that everyone has done so much for us, but it fully reminds me how lucky I am and how very grateful I am to live here.”
