OSHS Cancer Walk Involves Community, Raises Money

At 4pm on May 23, the annual cancer walk took place at Old Saybrook High School. The cancer walk was more than just walking, it was a display of unity throughout the Old Saybrook community, with citizens of all ages and backgrounds participating. The goal of the event, to raise money for the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation from people within the community, was met with over 7,000 dollars raised, due to the generosity from the sponsors. 

This event was run by Whitney Bird, Chloe Young, Owen Courtright, and other students as a part of the cancer walk committee. Courtright said, “Our vision for the cancer walk was to get the students involved in the community for a meaningful cause.” Although there was a spook from the rain, people from across the town showed up, spanning from parents, to students, to even students from other shoreline schools. This event brought together a multitude of people to truly show the community support , executing the committee’s vision perfectly.

To start out the night, a variety of games were offered on the turf, along with encouragement to walk the track. Each lap completed was met with a mark, which would be tallied up at the end to award the person with the most laps a prize. However, throughout the walk, different tournaments were played. First came the cornhole tournament, which gathered almost all participants. Seniors Charlie Carmichael and Ellie Pennington were crowned victorious in Cornhole. The next event was water balloon toss, which was a fan favorite. Each person would partner up and attempt to throw and catch it without popping it. Each successful catch would result in backing up one step until there was one pair remaining. Seniors Brendan Cassella and Liam Roberts lasted the longest, which ultimately led to a full fledged water balloon fight, a memory that made the cancer walk a sure success in the eyes of all its participants. The night wound down with the SpikeBall tournament, which was also a big hit. However, reigning champions Charlie and Brendan combined and came out on top. Although Senior Kylie Lake did not win first, she enjoyed the various different activities to participate in. “I enjoyed the fact that you could not only compete to walk the most laps, but also the spike ball, cornhole, and water balloon toss tournaments.” Each first place finisher was rewarded with prizes, given to the walk by sponsors, such as a gift basket by Coastal Crab. On top of that, Marie-Therese Morosky finished the cancer walk with 68 laps, leading the walk in total laps. Morosky was awarded with a Swell gift card as a reward for her commitment to raise the most awareness for the cause. Outside of the games, freshman Gianluca Paladino said, “I had a ton of fun at the walk because I knew I was helping a good cause and got to hang out with my friends.” The social aspect of the walk was very important to the event as it allowed friends to get together and even make new friends.

Sponsors included Saybrook Pizza, Master Tiles, Luigis, Dairy Queen while the top sponsors consisted of FTD and Right at Home. These sponsors provide gifts to be given out for awards and places like Saybrook Pizza provided Pizza for the walkers. These incredible sponsors allowed the Cancer Walk Committee to reach this milestone. In addition to the sponsors, the walkers contributed to this donation money as many bought shirts along with the registration fee. The shirts serve as a reminder that a community, no matter its size, can have an enormous impact on issues greater than them.