52 THE QUEENS COURIER • KIDS & EDUCATION • OCTOBER 25, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
kids & education
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Bayside teen shows ‘Real Men Wear Pink’ this October
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
A teen from Bayside proves that you’re
never too young to make a diff erence.
Since the beginning of October, Ashtin
Reich has been wearing pink every day
as part of the American Cancer Society’s
Real Men Wear Pink Campaign, which
aims to get more men involved in the
fi ght against breast cancer.
He fi rst became involved in the campaign
aft er his mom Jennifer was diagnosed
with cancer earlier this year.
Th ough Jennifer underwent chemo and
is expected to make a full recovery, Reich
wanted to raise awareness in honor of
his mom and the other people in his life
who have been directly aff ected by cancer,
including his grandmother and great
aunt.
Reich’s goal is to raise $2,500 or more,
which will go toward supporting breast
cancer research and patient service programs
with the ACS. To date, the teen
said he has raised nearly $500 but has also
been selling breast cancer pens and a shirt
he designed to raise money.
“I decided on a black shirt with a pink
ribbon on it and on the back are the
words ‘overcome through courage and
strength,’” said Reich. Each of the words
includes a pink letter that spells out the
word “cure.”
Th e Benjamin Cardozo High School
sophomore shared that he has made
$1,500 in combined sales from the shirts
and pens. He said that most of his sales
have been made through his school and
the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization
which maintains an active social media
network. As the president of a regional
chapter of BBYO, Reich said that thousands
are able to see his fundraising posts.
According to the ACS, Reich is the
youngest Real Men Wear Pink participant
in New York City, a fact that does not surprise
the Bayside teen.
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“It didn’t shock me as much, but I
thought the age gap would be much less,”
said Reich, who added that many young
people may not be “aware of their surroundings.”
But Reich said that he wants
to spread awareness that men can be diagnosed
with breast cancer too, though it is
not as common.
“It’s so inspiring to see someone
Ashtin’s age get involved in this campaign.
Teenagers have very busy lives with many
competing priorities — and, understandably,
philanthropy isn’t always at the top
of that list,” said Ashley Engelman, director
of communications for the American
Cancer Society. “But young people have
enormous potential when it comes to
fundraising and advocating for a cause.
So to see Ashtin not only volunteer but
take on a true leadership role in the fi ght
to end breast cancer as one of our Real
Men Wear Pink candidates, gives me so
much hope for the future.”
Reich said that wearing pink every day
has not been much of a stretch for him
since it’s a color that he has enjoyed wearing
Photo by Ron Foster
all his life. He said that most people
think it’s “really cool” but he has had
some people make snide comments about
his wardrobe.
“Usually it’s someone who isn’t educated
about things that are going on,” said
Reich, who will usually explain his pink
threads to those out of the loop.
On Sunday, Oct. 21, Reich walked in
the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
walk at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
with family members, members from
BBYO and some of his sports teammates
from school. Th e week before on Oct. 14,
he gave a speech at the breast cancer walk
in Central Park where he talked about
how a cancer diagnosis aff ects the people
in one’s life.
Th e teen has a message for other young
people who want to get involved: “You’re
never too young to make a positive infl uence
on anyone else or anything, even if
it’s a small infl uence.”
It’s not too late to join the Real Men
Wear Pink campaign. For more information,
visit cancer.org or call 800-227-2345.
Ashtin Reich.
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