Cheer Squad Brings Spirit To Queens Breast Cancer Walk

Cheerleaders are known, more often than not, for standing on the sidelines, but this year at Forest Hills High School, the cheer squad is diving head first into more than just competition.

The group participated in Sunday’s Queens Breast Cancer Awareness Walk, raising nearly $1,000 dollars and giving back to their community in more ways than one.

Led by sisters Connie Mackey and Elissa Reed, the group has long been a mainstay at Forest Hills athletic events and in cheer competitions, but this year, the group decided that community service would be a cornerstone of their pyramid.

“We’ve been in existence, the cheer squad, for 18 years, but this is the first year that we said we want to do something different, it was a year we wanted to make a difference,” Mackey said. “The first thing we thought about was the breast cancer walk.”

In addition to giving back and helping raise awareness of breast cancer, Mackey said, the team made connections with other community members at the walk.

“These girls participated unconditionally, and they really put their best foot forward,” Mackey said. “It brought an awareness to the kids. We always try, as we’re teaching, to have them intermingle with the world around them and see what’s happening. … They met people who survive breast cancer, it brought it really close to home for them.”

Already, the group has made strides towards taking on more charitable endeavors. They are planning a cheer demonstration for students at the , and a leukemia walk later in the school year.

“It’s going to go beyond that walk,” Mackey said. “The community really loved them, they said these girls had such great spirit.”