October is usually filled with Halloween decorations that scare children and candy that soothes their tears, but for the VHS Cheerleaders, October is about Breast Cancer Awareness. 

On October 13, 2021 the cheerleaders put on their annual Cheer for a Cure Showcase on Sellitto Field. Except this year was a little different. Not only was it sponsored by Verona Competitive Cheer, Caldwell and Cedar Grove performed as well. The showcase is a great way for cheerleaders in nearby towns to show off skills they have been working on all season, but more importantly support the Minette’s Angels Foundation. VHS Alumni and families of cheerleaders come out and support the event all together. 

The Minette’s Angels Foundation was created by a Verona Resident, Ken McKenna, after his wife Minette Grosso McKenna lost her 10-year battle with breast cancer. Ken wanted to bring awareness to the disease that had taken his wife, but mostly support other patients going through similar treatment his wife did. The foundation also gives out scholarships to students that attend Seton Hall University School of Nursing, as Minette was a nurse herself. Members of the foundation came out with Ken himself to the showcase to show their gratitude for all that support the foundation and to the cheerleaders for putting on a show in honor of Minette. Fundraising has obviously been different due to Covid restrictions, so this showcase was extra special as it was one of the first events back at full capacity after the past year long lockdown. 

The Cheer For a Cure Showcase has been an annual event held by VHS cheerleaders for well over 10 years.  This year it included performances from the VCC, Verona Eagles, Caldwell Chiefs, Caldwell High School, and Cedar Grove Panthers, all of whom were ecstatic to be a part of the event.

There was also a reversible moment where the Verona Hillbilly football seniors made an appearance to hold a banner for the VHS cheerleaders to run through. The girls ran through the banner smiling ear to ear holding the Hillbilly flags as the boys cheered them on. “Together We Fight” the banner had said, and together we will. The pandemic did not stop the spread of breast cancer and neither will the fight many families go through when a loved one is sick. 

Overall, the night was better than expected,  raising a total of about $2,000 for the Minette’s Angels Foundation. The Verona High School Cheerleaders closed off the evening with their special Bah-Bah cheer, spelling out “Beat Breast Cancer” showing off a sparkly ribbon made out of the pretty pink pom-poms as the curtain closer for the night.