GREENSBORO — Fourth grade students from Our Lady of Grace School visit Pennybyrn at Mayfield, a local senior living facility, to visit with residents.
— Photos provided by Aphton K. Lang
Charlotte – In connection with Feb. 3, Charlotte Catholic High School Varsity basketball game against West Mecklenburg High School, Cougars 4 a Cure raised more than $32,000 for Levine Cancer Institute’s Carolinas Bladder Cancer Fund.
The fund supports innovative bladder cancer research projects and tissue banking efforts underway at the Institute.
Cougars 4 a Cure was first organized in 2014 by CCHS graduate and former student-coach Matthew Salvino and CCHS basketball coaches Mike King and Andre Speech.
Cougars 4 a Cure has become a family affair, with Mitchell Salvino, a CCHS sophomore and basketball player, now leading the effort that his older brother first helped to organize.
Matthew and Mitchell’s mother, Denise, had a rare form of bladder cancer that received very little funding, which led to this fundraising effort. Fortunately, Mrs. Salvino recovered completely after treatment.
Cougars 4 a Cure has raised nearly $100,000 over the past four years, amassing contributions from CCHS students and parents, CCHS faculty and staff, and, as of this year, members of the extended Charlotte Catholic community at Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School and the elementary schools at St. Gabriel, St. Patrick, and St. Matthew.
Mike Salvino, father of Matthew and Mitchell, recently thanked the CCHS community for its support of Cougars 4 a Cure.
“The fundraiser has really turned into a great event that is making an impact locally on cancer,” he said. “This event could not be done without the support of CCHS, and in particular, Varsity Basketball Coach Mike King and Principal Kurt Telford. I just want to thank the CCHS community for its support, from the entire Salvino family.”
“This began as an impressive event organized by a wonderful CCHS family for a great cause,” Telford said.
“We are happy to see that it has grown to become a community effort, drawing the extended CCHS family together to raise funds for cancer research.”
— Provided by Carolyn Tillman
CCHS sophomore carries on, expands ‘Cougars 4 a Cure’ cause
CHARLOTTE — Cougars 4 a Cure, a local outreach effort to create awareness and research funding for bladder cancer at the Carolinas Healthcare System’s Levine Cancer Institute, will continue for a fourth year. Mitchell Salvino, a Charlotte Catholic sophomore, has taken over the effort started in 2013 by his brother Matthew, now a freshman at Duke University in Durham.
Cougars 4 a Cure was created after their mom, Denise, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2012. To date, it has raised nearly $70,000 for Levine Cancer Institute and the Carolinas Bladder Cancer Fund.
Mitchell Salvino is proud to carry on the effort that his brother started three years ago, along with Charlotte Catholic’s junior varsity basketball coach, Andre Speech, to tie in a hoops event with the cause. Varsity coach Mike King and the basketball program will continue to lend their support at the event coming up Friday, Feb. 3.
“We go about raising money by selling T-shirts with the C4C logo here at school during each lunch period and before and after school,” Salvino said. “We also have a dress down day on Feb. 3 and everyone brings $1 or $2. Everyone who buys a shirt and wears it to the game gets in to the game free that night.”
This year the Cougars take on West Mecklenburg High School at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at home.
Salvino has been successful in increasing the number of Catholic schools participating in Cougars 4 a Cure this year, expanding the dress down days where students can wear casual clothes instead of school uniforms and voluntarily donate funds to Cougars 4 a Cure and even purchase C4C T-shirts.
“St. Matthew, St. Gabriel, St. Patrick and Holy Trinity are also having dress down days this year,” he said. Salvino’s younger sister, Morgan, is in seventh grade at Holy Trinity Middle School, so she will be able to participate this year.
“I am very proud of my sons, Matthew and Mitchell,” Denise Salvino says. “A lot of times when a family has to deal with cancer, they band together to get the person who is diagnosed through the surgery, treatments and get back to their lives before they were impacted by the disease.
“It is rare for people to want to stay involved once all these activities are over for the loved one and then try to help out others. It is even more rare for teenagers to want to do this.”
She said Matthew, Mitchell and Morgan all like science and a key component of that is research, so they all were very curious about the latest bladder cancer research.
“You will see that the treatment for bladder cancer has roughly been the same for the last 30 years, but the doctors at the Levine Cancer Institute are trying to change that through research.
“Matthew, Mitchell and Morgan wanted to support this research, and the best way for them to do this is to raise money. Hopefully as they get older, they will be able to work at LCI and help conduct some of the research. Matthew interned at LCI for the last three years, and now Mitchell will intern at LCI this year.”
The American Cancer Society estimated in 2016 that more than 76,960 new cases of bladder cancer (about 58,950 in men and 18,010 in women) would be diagnosed. Unfortunately it was also estimated there would be about 16,390 deaths from bladder cancer (11,820 men and 4,570 women).
Mitchell Salvino said they hope to raise more than $30,000 this year.
“I enjoy raising money for cancer research,” he said. “I remember my mom going through surgery and now she has regular screenings. I am just trying to raise money for people who are going through that.”
To purchase a T-shirt or donate to Cougars 4 a Cure, go to the link associated with the CCHS online store at www.charlottecatholic.americommerce.com/store/c/89-Cougars-4-a-Cure.aspx.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter