Stand Up To Cancer

I became part of the One Town . . . One Voice concert benefiting Stand Up 2 Cancer because of my mother and my best friend. My close friend Molly lost her dad last year to a brain tumor; it was so hard to watch her go through that and know that there was nothing I could do to bring him back. Also, my mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, when I was one year old and was given a three-year life expectancy. While she beat the odds, I decided that it was time to take a stand instead of letting cancer continue to hurt so many people.

With many families affected by cancer, our town decided to hold a concert for Stand Up 2 Cancer. I was glad we picked this charity because SU2C works with great celebrity connections to raise money specifically for cancer research.

My friends and I helped raise awareness of the concert. We publicized the event on our Facebook pages, we hung posters all around our school and in the town, and we communicated with our sports teams. We then decided to help raise money by selling "stars" in the school cafeteria. We sold them to our classmates for two dollars each and each person wrote the name of someone touched by cancer on their star. The outcome was amazing - so many people bought stars and dedicated them to someone they cared about. The stars ended up being displayed as part of the backdrop the night of the event.

The night of the concert, we set up the tables to sell tickets and stars and also placed donation envelopes under all of the chairs in the auditorium. We helped people understand Stand Up 2 Cancer and their mission. The concert involved 250 students from the public and private schools in town - from little ones to high schoolers. Over 500 family members attended to support them.

This event taught me responsibility and how much giving back does mean. I know that because of my town we have made a difference - the little town of New Canaan coming together helped to raise money and awareness for the huge problem of cancer.

--Nicole Giusti