South Philly Review

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Cheerleaders at a local school have found a new way to bond with their grandmothers. The students have been sitting around after school once a week over the past four months with a needle and skein of yarn in hand — all for a good cause.

Each of the 15 girls on the St. Nicholas of Tolentine, 913 Pierce St., squad crocheted a scarf, which will be donated to cancer patients at Northeast Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center next month.

“We wanted to do something to make a difference and it’s fun,” Krista Pomante, pre-kindergarten teacher and cheerleading coach, said.

She suggested the project to the girls — none of whom had any previous crocheting experience — and the students ranging from sixth through eighth grades began learning the craft in January.

“I’ve crocheted for many years,” Pomante, who also is a St. Nicholas alum, said. “Each [Catholic Youth Organization] team has to do a service. They said to me they didn’t want to bake another cupcake or brownie, so I decided to pass on my trait to them.”

The cheerleaders instantly liked the idea.

“We all had to do a charity,” Sabrina Fasone, an eighth-grader from 11th and McClellan streets, said. “Why not learn something?”

Even Principal Sister Mary Esther Carsele was impressed with the unique idea for the required service that typically consists of food collections or Toys for Tots.

“I thought it was a great idea,” she said. “Usually children don’t want to stay after school, but they were excited about doing it. They’re usually excited about helping the needy.”

The students will not personally deliver the scarfs to the cancer center as a student’s mother plans to drop them off when she goes there for treatment May 10, Pomante said.

“I hope that [the patients] see the hard work and dedication that comes from such a young age group and even though they’re young, they understand the meaning of giving back to the community,” she said.

The pupils hope the gesture will lift the spirits of patients.

“That they know we care because they’re filled with sadness,” eighth-grader Georgeann Lombertino, of 13th and Mifflin streets, said.

“And see them smile,” classmate Anna Pham, of Fourth and Mifflin streets, added.

The patients are always excited to choose an item from the carts that are filled with blankets, scarfs, hats, puzzle books and decks of cards, Kathy Cowden, the administrative assistant in the volunteer office at Fox Chase Cancer Center, said.

“Anything we put on the cart is usually gone in a day or two,” she said.

Even with warmer weather on the way, the patients will still utilize the pieces crocheted by the St. Nicholas students, she said.

“Absolutely. Especially because some of the areas in the hospital are colder than others,” Cowden said referring to the chilly air in the infusion room where chemotherapy treatments are given.

And the girls will be acknowledged for their hard work, she added.