This year, the American Cancer Society teamed up with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for the CIF Fights Cancer Week and encouraged California high schools to join and raise money for the cause. The Carlsbad High School ASB team took on the challenge and designated the January 19, 2024 home basketball game to raise money for the fundraiser.
Jeff Riccitelli is the ASB director at Carlsbad High School. He plays an important role in everything ASB organizes, and his main role in this fundraiser is to help guide his students as they run the campaign.
“My role there is really working in conjunction with the American Cancer Society,” Riccitelli said. “They asked to partner with the schools to work to put together a donation drive, and so I have a couple of students that are in charge of it.”
Although this is a special statewide event, it isn’t the first time CHS has worked with the American Cancer Society this year. They also teamed up in October for the pink-themed football game which raised awareness for breast cancer. At the game, students wore pink to show support for the cause.
“We worked with them for the pink game in October for breast cancer, so they’re a local group here that we work with,” Riccitelli said. “This [time] more because it’s the group CIF is working with.”
Another important member of the CHS ASB team is the president Romie Coffler. She agrees with Riccitelli on their productive history with the American Cancer Society and the change they’ve made together.
“We’ve worked closely with them in the past,” Coffler said. “We want to give back to our community.”
The American Cancer Society was founded over 100 years ago, and, since then, they have raised countless amounts of money for cancer patients and research. Riccitelli advocates for the importance of what they do, specifically with the funds.
“They’re trying to raise awareness,” Riccitelli said. “80 cents of every dollar raised goes to support cancer patients and their families through research, patient support and advocacy, and that’s what they’re looking for donations for.”
Across the globe, there are many different worthy causes and foundations dedicated to helping different problems. Cancer research and aid is highly important and helps the well-being of millions.
“They actually have some statistics here as well that say 1 in 3 [people] in the U.S. will be affected by cancer in their lifetime, and that’s just a crazy number,” Riccitelli said. “So anything we can do to help is important.”
Additionally, Coffler explains what this foundation means to her. She has had friends and family members diagnosed with cancer, so she knows how hard it can be for the person to live through.
“I think as the Carlsbad community, we want to give back the most that we can and make sure that we fight against cancer and help find a cure for it through our funding towards the research and creating a better world for our future,” Coffler said.
Riccitelli believes it’s important for everybody to be involved in this fundraiser. He explains that part of becoming an adult is gaining global awareness and knowing what you can do to help people in need.
“It starts to raise awareness. One thing I try to promote with all my students, especially my ASB students, is kind of thinking about the bigger picture,” Riccitelli said. “We all get caught up in our own little worlds sometimes and we need to realize there is a bigger world out there. So this is a good chance for us to start helping those around us.”
