Raising funds to help in the fight to end breast cancer

Three eighth-grade students from the Leonard J. Tyl Middle School have raised more than $5,000 for cancer research.

Michael Kurasz, Jake Callaghan and Kevin Doherty recently started their own breast cancer awareness initiative. All three boys have an extremely personal connection with people who were diagnosed with the disease.

Laurie Ferendo, Michael's godmother, is in remission after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Jake's grandmother, Marjorie Murphy, and Kevin's mother, Karen, are also breast cancer survivors.

The money raised was donated to the Backus Breast Cancer Foundation and Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation. The boys started a fundraiser with a $200 donation from the Bozrah Moose Riders Club. That helped them purchase pink breast-cancer awareness bracelets.

They also sold their fellow Tyl students $1 tickets that allowed them to listen to their iPods in study hall. And they helped work a bake sale at the William W. Backus Hospital that helped the cause.

Staff at Tyl also arranged for a February assembly on breast cancer awareness. The three boys shared their stories and spoke in front of the entire eighth-grade class.

- JEFFREY A. JOHNSON