GHS honors survivors with walk

Published 4:20 pm Friday, October 28, 2011

Greenville High School students, staff, faculty and members of the community participated in the fourth annual breast cancer walk around the school on Thursday. (Advocate Staff/Patty Vaughan)

The entirety of Greenville High School gathered on the step of the outside of the school to honor breast cancer survivors everywhere.

Students participated and listened as cancer survivors from their school and the community step up and thanked everyone for support and hope on Oct. 27.

Balloons were released to honor those who had lost the battle and for the hope for those that have survived.

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Students, staff, faculty and members of the community then participated in the fourth annual breast cancer walk around the school.

“This is Tiara Club,” Shawnda Bell, Tiara Club sponsor said. “It’s one of our activities that we do. The whole purpose of our club is to get the school and community to operate as one unit so we do activities such as this where we invite the community out and we try to promote positive things.”

The club is currently made up of 21 women that have to go through an interview process, maintain a 2.5 GPA and are responsible for 20 services hours.

Bell said this means more to students than just being able to get out of class a little early.

“The kids really enjoy it,” Bell said.

“It’s important to raise awareness so they do know about it and the fact that they get to participate and contribute $1 if they buy one of these pins.

“The money that we raise we send to the American Cancer Society.”

The pins are breast cancer awareness pins that are sold to students and staff.

Principal Joseph Dean said his perspective changed as he watched students out front.

“I was standing out front and my attention was this was more for the students and get them involved and how this disease has affected our society,” Dean said. “Standing out front there, I got a totally different perspective. Each time one of those cancer survivors stepped up, you could see that hope and support that came into the eyes of these kids out here.”

Dean said it affects every home, every race of women but when people take the time to have event like this, it shows these survivors that people are there to support them as well as provide resources to find a cure for this horrible disease.