Making strides against cancer

Early on a crisp fall Saturday morning, the EF Academy Cheer Team was not enjoying a nice morning to sleep in. Instead, they were out volunteering at the “Making Strides of Westchester” walk at Manhattanville College. Over 20 students attended the event from EF Academy, including our cheer team, which was a big part of the festivities on campus – cheering on 19,000 participants in the walk.

Wing Suet (Wendy) Ng and Yi-Chi (Olivia) Wu were two students who cheered on the participants. They described it as a fun experience – to be a part of the spirited event and put their cheer skills to work. Each has had family members suffer from cancer, so they understand the importance of cheering to support their recovery and motivating the survivors to continue fighting the disease.

The EF Academy Cheer Team also raised money to support “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.” They used a fundraising website and asked friends, family and teachers. The community donated $639 to the cause. In total, the event raised over $782,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Wendy and Olivia described the best part of the walk was seeing the participants finish. They loved seeing the smiles on the faces of all involved and joined in the pride of the walkers who were crossing the finish line. The Cheer Team performed several routines and cheered for all walkers to cross the line. The group also led stretching and dancing routines for the walkers. Students were accompanied by Cheer Coach Rosalie Frison, Fabiana Da Silva and Dr. Oxana Litvine. Ms. Frison noted, “I am very proud of the commitment and dedication they gave for this cause.”

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks are the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the United States, uniting nearly 300 communities with a shared determination to finish the fight against breast cancer. Passionate walk participants raise critical funds that enable the American Cancer Society to fund groundbreaking breast cancer research; provide free, comprehensive information and support to those touched by breast cancer; and help people take steps to reduce their breast cancer risk or find it early when it is most treatable.