Westwood Teens Exceed Road Race Fundraising Goal

BY DOUGLAS MCCULLOCH (@doug_mcculloch), September 15, 2015

Westwood High students who ran in the Falmouth Road Race pose at a pre-race dinner. (Photo courtesy of Colette Schissel)

A group of Westwood High students who raced in the Falmouth Road Race have exceeded their fundraising goal by more than $3,000. 

The team, made up of Westwood High students Nina Piemontese, Megan Ross, Radhika Rangarajan and Jack Takazawa, and Colette Schissel, pledged to raise $7,500. The team recently announced that they had exceeded that goal, and raised a total of $10,805, thanks in part to the many donations they received from the community. 

In an interview with Hometown Weekly before the Falmouth Road Race, team member and Westwood High student Colette Schissel said that she planned on running in the race to help people suffering from the debilitating disease. 

“ALS, from what I have seen, is a very unpredictable and terrible disease that is very difficult to live with. CCALS makes this burden easier by offering support and service and certain technologies to those suffering,” Schissel said. 

The team ran in the Falmouth Road Race to honor the mother of a close friend, who suffers from ALS. 

“It would certainly mean a lot to me and my friends to see money be donated to this great organization,” Schissel said during an interview prior to the race. 

Funds raised by the teens will benefit Compassionate Care ALS (CCALS), which helps to support people diagnosed with ALS and their families. 

The organization helps out families, caregivers, and patients by providing emotional support as well as necessary items such as ramps and wheelchairs. The organization has even given families vacations to accessible destinations.