Town will turn teal for cancer awareness
EASTGREENBUSH, N.Y. » Later this year, the town of East Greenbush will turn the town teal for ovarian cancer awareness.
Earlier this year, town officials approved a Proclamation to Turn the Town Teal in September, a national campaign to promote awareness of ovarian cancer and its often subtle symptoms. As part of the campaign, large teal ribbons will be displayed throughout the town and donations may be accepted at participating organizations.
“We’re here for a very serious event … What we want to do as a town is we want to support this effort and we want to bring at-
tention to this issue,” said East Greenbush Town Supervisor Jack Conway during a news conference at the town hall with members from East Greenbush Central School District on World Ovarian Cancer day Tuesday.
Columbia High School Athletics has contributed more than $25,000 to Caring Together, Inc. through proceeds from participation in the annual Teal Ribbon Run/ Walk held every September. Caring Together, Inc. seeks to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and raise funds in support of research
“We’re excited to see East Greenbush turn teal,” said Kelly Quist-Demars, who is with Caring Together and is also a 5 year ovarian cancer survivor.
The cause is even more important to East Greenbush Central School District’s Athletic Director Mike Leonard along with his wife Mary Signorelli, who is currently on medication that is helping to treat her ovarian cancer.
Signorelli was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016 at the age of 54 and she said the trait does run in her family with her mother passing away from it a few years ago.
“It runs in my family, my aunt, my mother, we all have the gene and it continues,” Signorelli said after the news conference, while noting that her kids were tested and do not carry the gene trait. “My mother and my aunt made
it look so easy, but it’s difficult because you know it’s going through your family rapidly and my brother just found out that he has the gene, so men can actually pass it to their children.”
“This is a win-win situation, we teach our kids about giving back to the community and we bring funds in for Caring Together,” added Leonard.
District Superintendent Jeff Simons, along with county legislators, were happy to see the district and town show its support to such a meaningful cause every year.
“This will be a great way to not only raise money, but to bring everybody together supporting an important issue,” said Simons.
“I think the important thing about awareness and combating any sort of disease is collaboration and so what the town and the school district have been able to do on a collaborative basis has been absolutely remarkable,” added
Rensselaer County Legislator Tom Grant, whose district covers East Greenbush.