Every three minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Every 13 minutes, a woman loses her battle with the cancer.
This week, girls in the Jefferson Middle School after-school Advantage program became honorary Girl Scouts to learn about breast cancer with the help of Annette German, senior program manager out of Buffalo, and Stephanie Wright, program manager out of Jamestown.
The program, which was called "In The Pink," is a breast cancer awareness program presented by the Girl Scouts of Western New York in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Article Photos
A student in Jefferson Middle School’s Advantage after-school program works on a Powerpoint as a part of a breast cancer awareness program.
P-J photo by Liz Skoczylas
According to Ms. German, the Girl Scouts had written a program and received a grant from the Susan G. Komen Foundation to help educate girls about making healthy choices and reducing the risk of breast cancer.
"We offered this to Jefferson. They had the staff and the facility to do it, and the kids are very interested," Ms. Wright said.
Early on in the week, the girls in the Advantage program began learning about breast cancer and how to live a healthier life. As part of a community service program they made lap quilts to donate to people going through cancer treatments.
On Thursday, the girls heard from Cathy Belin, an ambassador of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and breast cancer survivor. Mrs. Belin shared facts with the students and told of her whole story.
Together with Ms. German and Ms. Wright, the girls made a Powerpoint presentation about what they had learned about healthy living and breast cancer.
Typically, students in the Advantage program are able to choose sessions to attend, based on their own individual preferences. For three days this week, though, the special programming was brought in.
More information about Girl Scouts can be found at www.gswny.org. Additional information about the Susan G. Komen Foundation can be found at www.komen.org.