Sometimes, all you need to do is ask.
That was the case in September, when sophomore Ashley Suchyta approached administration members with the idea of adding another colored polo to the approved uniform shirts available to students in the bookstore: pink, as in the international color for breast cancer awareness.
“I wanted Saint Viator to be more involved in the breast cancer movement,” Ashley said. “I thought by selling the shirts, we could raise money to help in the fight against the disease and raise awareness around the school.”
She made a compelling case to members of the administration, even researching the availability of pink shirts with the Saint Viator’s uniform company, BlueGeneration, and the margin for profit.
“I was just praying they would approve it,” Ashley added.
They did. In less than four days, administration members approved the new uniform color and sent pre-order forms to homeroom teachers in order to have students wearing them during October, recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
They quickly sold 357 shirts to girls and boys.
“Some of my teammates from football are wearing them,” junior Joey McIntyre said. “I thought it was cool, and since my dean (Dean Deborah Scerbicke) is a breast cancer survivor, I wanted to support it.”
Administration members found Ashley’s appeal to be well-researched and deserving.
“She really did an excellent job in convincing us,” Principal Eileen Manno said. “Her goal is to support breast cancer research.
“Many members of our Saint Viator family have been touched by this disease,” Manno added, “and we are pleased to be able to support continuing research into defeating this disease.”
Just last week, Ashley hand-delivered a check in the amount of $1,068 to Gilda’s Club in Chicago, which is an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community and opened last year to serve cancer patients and survivors in the wider Chicago area.