By Alicia Tang
On September 7, the Golden Lights Foundation, in partnership with the Town of Greenwich, raised their flag at Town Hall to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.
At the flag-raising ceremony, First Selectman Fred Camillo acknowledged September as Pediatric Awareness Month and urged Greenwich residents to recognize the impact of pediatric cancers. But this support is just the first step, “Cancer affects everybody, all ages, and it’s something that you deal with 365 days a year, one month isn’t enough,” said Camillo.
The foundation’s president Gregg Pauletti says that their mission is to not only to raise funding for pediatric cancer research, “but also to let other people know that they’re not alone.” He noted the flag-raising as a signal of both the town’s and the foundation’s commitment to supporting families and children struggling with a diagnosis.
“There’s lots of children who get diagnosed every year in town, and if they can see the acknowledgement from the town, they know that maybe I can contact someone,” Pauletti remarked.
The flag features a ring of golden ribbons, which is the international symbol for pediatric cancer.
“We arranged it in a star because if you’ve ever seen a family, or specifically a child going through this kind of horrible event, that little kids themselves are often the beacon of light,” says Pauletti.
According to Pauletti, the golden ribbon symbolizes the foundation’s hope of being a light for those struggling against pediatric cancers, as well as an acknowledgement of the “beautiful little faces that really give you the strength to push through it.”
The foundation, started in 2020, resulted from a personal encounter with pediatric cancer, Pauletti’s daughter was diagnosed at 3 years old.
“Because we had this personal connection, we felt like we needed to do something more than just acknowledge it,” said Pauletti about the charity’s founding. Since its launch, the Golden Lights Foundation has raised about $250,000.
The foundation’s home base in Greenwich allows it advantageous proximity to collaborate with New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), widely regarded as one of the best hospitals for cancer treatment.
“There’s a pretty big difference in treatment if you go to a world-renowned hospital like MSK,” he says. Otherwise, “you can’t get the experimental treatments that are many times what makes the difference in your child living or dying.”
Each year, the foundation’s medical advisory board selects a number of projects to which donations to the foundation are allocated. This year, this includes a clinical trial for Neuroblastoma and MSK Kids, the center’s pediatric program.
The foundation also sponsors an annual fundraising half marathon, which will take place on September 17th at Tod’s Point this year.
Beyond donating, Pauletti says that volunteering through the foundation or at events such as the race are ways to help.
Those who would like to donate to the foundation can do so through their website: https://goldenlightsfoundation.org/
