St. Mary of Mount Carmel Students Support Colon Cancer Awareness

Members of the National Junior Honor Society at St. Mary of Mount Carmel School in Dunmore recently painted and sold Christmas ornaments to raise money to support colon cancer awareness. The thirteen eighth-grade students were able to donate a grand total of $770 to the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, a local nonprofit organization working to ease the burden of cancer in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The expenses related to the project were underwritten by Ann Oliver Conlon, a colon cancer survivor, and aunt of Jack Shean, student leader of the project. Each ornament was marked with a blue ribbon for colon cancer awareness and came with an information card on the screening guidelines and risk factors of the disease.

Mr. Joseph Triano, Principal of St. Mary of Mount Carmel School said, “The project increased awareness of the disease and encouraged screening to save lives. The students, their families, and the faculty provided tremendous support to this project and were grateful to have the opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile cause.”

“If this project educated people and causes only one person to be screened and potentially have their life saved, we will have done something truly important for someone else,” remarked Shean.

Pictured at the check presentation are, in the front row (left to right): Bob Durkin, President of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute and Mary McDonnell, advisor of St. Mary of Mount Carmel Chapter of the National Honor Society. Second row: Harrison Rapp; Gina Perry; Matthew Valvano; and Brigitte Stuckart. Third Row: Maura McDonough; Sabrina Bannister; Vito Scocozzo; and Gabriella Fletcher. Last Row: Maggie McDonough; Joseph Triano, Principal of St. Mary of Mount Carmel; Jack Shean; and Matthew Walsh. Absent from the photo are students James Wetter and Nikki Terreri.