Villa Grove Schools Celebrate 10th Year of Breast Cancer Fundraiser | Education

VILLA GROVE – The Villa Grove School District celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Fight Like a Blue Devil breast cancer fundraiser on Thursday.

A check for $3,646.89, which students raised through various efforts, was presented to representatives of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute at Carle Foundation Hospital during an afternoon meeting in the main gymnasium where students and staff also heard a talk on raising awareness about breast cancer.

Coordinator Blake Swan said money was raised through a variety of sources, including a breakfast hosted by the dance team last weekend and the sale of beads and bracelets. In high school, ‘Smencils’ (scented pencils) were sold along with T-shirts and sweatshirts. Villa Grove State Bank donates $1,000 annually.

The high school football team will host Argenta-Oreana tonight in the annual pink game. The players wear pink socks and the cheerleaders use pink pompoms.

The fundraiser is being held in memory of DeDe Eversole, who passed away in 2016.

Swan said two others who have been instrumental in the organization are Maddison Perkinson and Breleigh Eversole.

“Maddison and I had taken over since last year,” Swan said, “and Breleigh just started (first grade) at Villa Grove this year.”

Dave Hinton is editor of the Our County section of The News-Gazette and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at [email protected].