The 18th annual Kicks for Cancer Event was a huge success yet again, hosting thirty two JV and Varsity teams on Saturday, 28, 2024 at Concord Carlisle High School.
Every fall, CCHS hosts this annual Kicks for Cancer event in memory of a beloved and kind-hearted mother and friend, Lois Wells, who tragically passed away from ovarian cancer in 2007. Since then, Concord Carlisle High School and Steve Wells, Lois Well’s son, have encouraged the community to support and show up to the Kicks for Cancer Events, which falls each year on the 4th Saturday of September. Overall, this event has raised a little under one million dollars—all donated to cancer research, specifically the Dana-Farber Cancer Institution.
Kicks for Cancer is a warm and welcoming event, people from all over are encouraged to attend, even from outside of Concord. Everyone shows up in pink, as pink is associated with breast cancer. Players and students who come to watch even go to the extreme of dying their hair, bodies, and faces pink. Booths selling pink cards, pink glasses and lanyards are scattered throughout the event. Guests pay a small entrance fee at the event, and additional donations are completely voluntary, but encouraged.
CCHS senior, Alex Koh, attended the event as a volunteer for Key Club and found that the day carried a feeling of “great tension but also a mix of great positivity.” As he says, “I was surrounded by a sea of voices and bodies – it was like the school was speaking, breathing as one,” united under this great cause. He explained that he was “watching from the sidelines… as I was selling lanyards, but it was like the whole school buzzed with community.”
Similarly wowed by the event was Mrs. Ray and her young daughter, Autumn, who is pictured below, decked out in all pink for the event! As Mrs. Ray puts it, “Seeing the community come together for such a wonderful cause was truly a magical feeling, especially watching it through my little girl’s eyes. What a great event for students, staff, family and friends to participate in – coming together as one big community with one shared goal. From the bright pink colors to the energy both on and off the field, I felt so proud to be cheering my students on from the sidelines!”
As Princpals Katie Stahl and Brian Miller included in their weekly chronicle, “Unfortunately, cancer is something that has touched us all, and we are grateful for the incredible fundraising that occurs… [and for those who] donated to Dana Farber for their research.” The administration team, as seen ‘driving’ in the Let’s Kick Cancer car, added “what amazing weekend we had at Kicks! The weather and energy were fantastic, and we are so grateful to everyone who came out to support this incredible cause. Thank you again to everyone who supported the various events and helped to make them happen. From our Pink-themed fun Friday to all the games and matches, music performances, and Mighty Moose, none of it would have been possible without our parent and community support. We are so lucky to have such an amazing and supportive community. We are truly grateful and are already looking forward to next year!”
At this year’s tournament, teams from all around Middlesex competed. At the tournament, the CC Boys Varsity Soccer Team ended the event by playing their rivalry team Lincoln-Sudbury. It was a tough match, but Lincoln-Sudbury ended up taking the win and left with the metal, after beating our home team 3-0. One student who attended the game noted that “The loss was kind of disappointing, but it was great to see that they stayed humble and positive” throughout the event. Throughout the week there were many notable games, including some impressive wins from the CC golf team, coming in at 63-9 against Bedford and 41.5-30.5 against Malden Catholic. While the boys may not have claimed a victory against LS, Concord Carlisle High School’s Women’s Varsity Soccer team had a huge game against LS as well, taking home a much celebrated win (1-0).
Volleyball coach, Amanda Thompson, also commented following their game, saying she was “so proud of the JV team at Digs for Cancer. We played LS and showed the crowd our sportsmanship, kindness, and love for volleyball. We also brought a lot of skill and hard work!”
As Steve Wells notes, “Thanks to our amazing committee, especially our leader, Trish Siefer, as well as incredible support from the community, this year’s Kicks for Cancer event was a tremendous success! We had awesome weather, great attendance, unbelievable support from the community and local businesses, and all signs point to a huge amount of money that will be donated to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I am confident that we will surpass last year’s donation amount and that it will be our largest donation yet!”
Despite some losses, the event brought many wins as well, especially the biggest win of all – the reminder that everyone in attendance helped kick cancer together! It was clear that the spectators of the event were all leaving in high spirits due to the cheerfulness and pleasure that the event brings. Here at The Voice, we truly look forward to all that next year has to bring, as we continue to go to battle each year against a common goal – kicking cancer!
Feel free to check out the link below of WCVB’s coverage of the event as well! https://www.wcvb.com/article/kicks-for-cancer-event-grows-aims-for-1m-in-donations/62470797
