Students at Pelham Memorial High School ran events to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and teamed with the Pelham Chamber of Commerce to create a town-wide effort. 

The PMHS Breast Cancer Awareness Club is in its second year, having raised $5,000 last year. In anticipation of the second annual Real Kids Wear Pink Day in October, the club sold pink items such as bandanas, sunglasses, necklaces and stickers the week of Oct. 18. This led up to last Friday’s “Pink Out” at the varsity football team’s away game against Rye. The stands were filled with PMHS students wearing pink and passing around pink accessories like sunglasses and tiaras. 

Real Kids Wear Pink Day is an annual event started in Albany and brought to Pelham by the club, which encouraged people to wear pink items on its active Instagram account.

The high school club worked with the chamber of commerce to make sure students were not the only ones involved in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The chamber reached out to Pelham’s businesses, encouraging them to participate. Manor Auto is matching with donations all purchases up to $1,000. Staff are wearing pink t-shirts and giving away pink items. Patty’s Pops, Caffe Ammi and Flour Power all made pink treats, with a portion of proceeds going toward the American Cancer Society. Artistic Manor decided to tie pink balloons to parking meters on Fifth Avenue, demonstrating a public display of awareness across town. 

“I think this project is amazing and so impressive that our youth is taking on such meaningful causes,” said Chamber President Christina Chianese. “I’m honored that they came to us to work with them and help spread the support and promotion throughout the town. They are such an impressive group of kids influencing change here in Pelham.” 

Several other businesses contributed, including DaniLee’s Helping Hands, which gave away pink candies, bubbles and chalk. SOOP Theater, Wise Hardware, J&S Mechanical and the chamber made their own separate donations. 

The Breast Cancer Awareness Club is still collecting donations.