Age: 9
Hometown: Cohoes
School: Harmony Hill elementary School
Community Involvement: Real Kids Wear Pink
You’ve heard of Real Men Wear Pink, the American Cancer Society’s annual initiative that encourages men to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and patient support. But have you heard of Real Kids Wear Pink? Cohoes resident Stella Burwell certainly has.
Stella has been involved in Real Kids Wear Pink, an annual fundraising effort and event, for four years—since she was 5. But this year, the three-sport athlete has really stepped up to raise more money for the cause, rallying her classmates and coming up with creative fundraising ideas. She even convinced her school’s principal to let his students pie him in the face to raise money. By the third week in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she’d already raised more than $1,000.
As part of her fundraising effort, Stella posted a call for donations on her mom’s LinkedIn page. In the post she explained the “why” behind her involvement in Real Kids Wear Pink: “I want to raise money so people who are fighting cancer know they are not alone. Every dollar raised helps bring us closer to a world without cancer, and I believe even kids can make a big impact when we work together.”
This story is part of a series in which we feature young people from Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region who are making their communities a better place.
