Venice High Rallies Around Breast Cancer Awareness

On Friday night pink became part of the Venice High color scheme.

The Gondoliers' football team wore pink socks while cheerleaders, faculty, staff and fans all sported pink t-shirts, polo shirts and ribbons to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Night during the team's game against Palisades High.

The event was coordinated by Kirsten Farrell, Venice High's head athletic trainer and head of the school's sports medicine program. However Farrell credits the idea to the football players who approached her asking what they could do to raise awareness of the disease.

"It turned out that a trainer friend of mine had some pink tape and that's how it all started," says Farrell. "Over the weekend, the student athletic trainers and the football players and myself got together and all of a sudden we had t-shirts, shoelaces and socks."

The school then partnered with the Los Angeles County branch of the Susan G. Komen Foundation to create a fundraiser in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The cheerleaders and the sports medicine department sold cupcakes, teddy bears, pink t-shirts and pink bracelets with the proceeds going to the Komen foundation.

"The good thing about it is that 75% of the money goes to Susan G. Komen LA," Farrell remarked. "The other 25% goes to support breast cancer research worldwide."

The campaign received overwhelming support on campus during the week and at the game on Friday night. The school sold out all of the pink t-shirts in stock and Farrell says more are being ordered to sell at next week's Homecoming game against Fairfax High.

With such a positive response from the Venice High community, Farrell added that plans are already in the works to do it again next year.