October: it’s the month when everything seems to be pink or pumpkin. But, what about pink pumpkins? You’ll find them at CMC’s Breast Care Center this month thanks, large in part, to the enthusiastic Cheerleading Team at Southern New Hampshire University.
“This is really such a good cause, and this hospital is very close to SNHU Athletics’ heart,” says Riley O’Brien, SNHU’s Academic Success Coordinator for Athletics. Breast cancer “has affected so many of us and unfortunately we have lost mothers, sister, and cheer team supporters… Anything the team could do to bring light and joy to anyone battling this crippling cancer they would be honored to do. That is really what cheerleading is all about, motivating people.” The pumpkins will brighten the Breast Care Center for the month of October and the public has been invited to bring their own in as well.
28 cheerleaders painted 50 pumpkins for the Breast Care Center as part of a community service project and delivered them on the 13th. The pumpkins were donated by Lull Farm in Hollis – the paint equity came entirely from the team. These young men and women “were not only happy to take on this project and journey, they were excited to do so,” says O’Brien.
SNHU Athletics also presented CMC with a check for more than $2,800 in support of the Breast Care Center. The money was raised by several teams at various sporting events during the 2015-2016 season. “SNHU Athletics has been a strong supporter of the Breast Care Center, helping us to invest in technology that truly saves lives,” says Dr. Connie Campbell, Surgical Director of Breast Health. “We are so grateful for their dedication and, most of all, their unwavering and enthusiastic spirit.”