Players sold T-shirts and other items to raise more than $1,500 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Photos Courtesy Woodhaven Soccer Club
Woodhaven Soccer Club players decked themselves out in pink last weekend – from their hair to their shirts – and the young players not only hit the field to score some goals but to sell T-shirts, brownies, and cupcakes to raise more than $1,500 in the name of fighting breast cancer.
The club sponsored a Breast Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, for which the field by 114th Place and North Conduit Boulevard in South Ozone Park was transformed into a sea of pink balloons and in which three of the sports organization’s teams participated. The day included everything from players handing pink ribbons to opposing teams to donning shirts emblazoned with, “Kicking away cancer is our goal.”
The money that was raised during Saturday’s event will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, and the club will continue to raise money next Saturday at the same field.
“We wanted to start this last year, but we were going to do it the weekend of Hurricane Sandy,” said Anthony DiCocco, the president of the Woodhaven Soccer Club, which is a part of the Long Island Junior Soccer League and the New York Club Soccer League. “This is something we’re going to do every year.”
Next year, DiCocco said they have planned to raise breast cancer awareness events and raise money throughout the entire month of October. Additionally, he said the entire club – all 11 teams consisting of about 600 players – will be involved in the event.
“They absolutely loved it this year,” DiCocco said of the players. “They understand how important it is.”
By Anna Gustafson
