"Kicking It to Breast Cancer"

Matthew Campagna
Chairperson of Friends of Rachel

If you happen to see some of Nipmuc's students wearing pink shoelaces, you should know that they are part of a fashion trend that has started for the best of reasons. Led by Matthew Campagna, chairperson of Nipmuc's Friends of Rachel group, the appearance of pink shoelaces across our school is part of a fundraising effort to fight breast cancer.

Friends of Rachel is a student group that started at Nipmuc following the presentation of Rachel's Challenge to Nipmuc students two years ago. Rachel's Challenge provides the story of Rachel Scott, the first person who was killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Since the day of that tragedy, the Scott family has shared Rachel's story and her message of kindness and compassion in order to have a positive impact on the lives of America's students. Nipmuc's Friends of Rachel club began after the presentation came to Nipmuc; the group looks for opportunties to make a difference in the lives of our students and community members.

Through the guidance of Matthew Campagna, the group's latest effort aimed to raise funds for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. Selling pink shoelaces for $5 apiece, the group was able to raise nearly $500 over the course of a few weeks as part of a fundraiser he called, "Kicking It to Breast Cancer."

When I asked Matthew about this accomplishment he told me, "It's easy for anyone to make a difference. You just need to take the initiative and do it. You can get anything done if you set your mind to it."

Congratulations Matthew and the Rachel's Challenge group for your great work!