ACTivate the Cure brings down the house, brings in the dollars for breast cancer research

This year’s student-organized ACTivate the Cure variety show and art auction raised more than $5,300 to benefit breast cancer research and the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The festivities began at 6 p.m. with an art show at the Campbell Center. Artwork by faculty and students was available for purchase, with proceeds going to UMCCC.

Then, at 7 p.m., the all-school variety show began, featuring  acts ranging from singers to dancers to actors. Artists from Rachmaninoff to Run-D.M.C. were represented.

Ian David Harris delivers original standup material during the 2013 ACTivate the Cure show.

The show was  produced this year by Sarah Gargaro ’14, Danny Markel ’14, and Alaina Riker ’15.

“It was a lot of work to organize and put together, but working with Alaina Riker and Sarah Gargaro made it not only fun but feasible,” Markel said. “It was well worth it to see how many people came to the event and how excited people were to be involved.”

ACTIvate the Cure was pioneered 11 years ago by “New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether ‘ 00. This year, Meriwether teamed up with her friend Zooey Deschanel to send along a video shout-out to current Greenhills students, thanking them for continuing to support the event she founded.

An innovation this year was the all-school format, which for the first time encouraged  middle school acts to take part, in addition to upper school students and faculty. And take part they did, with a notably raucus rendition of a couple of bluegrass classics, performed by a band including Head of School Carl Pelofsky and faculty members Peter Holland and Marsha Mumm, closing out the show.

The Greenhills volleyball team also organized a Pink Game that raised  about $1,000 for the cause.

Organizers said the more inclusive approach generated a greater sense of community and greater participation in an event whose sole focus is fighting cancer.

“Virtually everyone knows someone who’s been affected by this disease,” Gargaro said.

Markel agreed, adding that it was highly gratifying to see everyone come together behind such a good cause.

“I couldn’t be happier about how wonderfully the event went,” she said.