St. Tammany Public School Students Raise Record Amount for Fight Against Cancer

Nearly $25K Presented to Cancer Center from October Geaux Pink Events

  (Covington, La.) – Every October, pink becomes more than just a color to the students, teachers and administrators of the St. Tammany Parish Public School System. It becomes a symbol of hope in observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and part of an initiative called “Geaux Pink,” a project of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital in Covington. Students and staff were given the opportunity to donate $1 or more to wear pink gear on October 3, with the money raised going directly to the Cancer Center as part of the school system’s district-wide Community Connections outreach. Some students took their enthusiasm outside the classroom and collected additional Geaux Pink funds while trick-or-treating, as a direct result of what they learned at school—that Louisiana’s breast cancer death rates are among the highest in the nation. Geaux Pink home sporting events also brought out scores of supporters and donations. Director of Development for Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, Leslie Landry, was elated to accept a check just shy of $25K from the St. Tammany Parish Public School System. “This represents the largest amount ever collected by our school system for one of these types of endeavors,” said School Superintendent W. L. “Trey” Folse, III. “I think it shows how many people have been touched one way or another by cancer – breast cancer specifically. It also shows once again that our Community Connections outreach is working. We realize our responsibility as a public school system is to teach students to give back to others, and we are certainly proud of that.” Geaux Pink is a signature awareness and fundraising initiative of the Cancer Center. It encourages individuals, schools, businesses, and sports teams to join the fight against cancer by hosting Geaux Pink events throughout the year, with special emphasis during the month of October – National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Funds raised go directly back to the community from which they came to support cancer awareness, early detection and screening programs for breast, colon, oral, skin and prostate cancers.   Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center at St. Tammany Parish Hospital provides comprehensive cancer care that strives to positively impact the lives of cancer patients and their families on the Northshore. Services include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery, as well as patient navigation, clinical trials and free community screenings. Not only do patients have access to these vital cancer services and high quality cancer care, but these services are readily available close to home.