By Bailey McGuinn
Three new graduates of Frelinghuysen Middle School are looking to make a difference for their Girl Scout Silver Award Project.
Maya Slaughter, Carigan McGuinn and Danielle Becht of Troop 80469 have joined forces to create a “Cabaret Against Cancer.”
Their concert will showcase young vocal talent, on Friday, June 23, 2017, in the school auditorium. They hope to raise awareness and collect donations for pediatric cancer patients at the Goryeb Children’s Hospital. The doors will open at 6:30 pm and showtime is 7 pm.
The cabaret will feature 20 performers from the community, central New Jersey, and even New York, ranging in age from 7 to 15. Becht, McGuinn, and Slaughter all have younger siblings involved.
“It’s really gratifying to use our talents to help others, and I know that the whole cast is excited to support those battling cancer” said Danielle Becht. “It sends the message that kids can make important contributions to the community! The cast is really fun to practice with, because we all know we’re doing it to achieve a common goal.”
In lieu of purchasing tickets, audience members are asked to bring donations of toys, games, and books for pediatric cancer patients. Gift cards, coloring books, movies, books, LEGO sets, decks of cards, and action figures would be greatly appreciated.
Video playlist: Rehearsals for ‘Cabaret Against Cancer’:
“I’m so excited this is finally coming together, because it’s a vision we’ve had for a long time,” said scout Maya Slaughter. “I’m honored to work with these kids– they really inspire me. Working together as a community is such an important thing, and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Raising awareness for this important issue is really great. It’s going to be a amazing night, and we really hope people come out to support this worthy cause.”
If you cannot attend, the Scouts hope you still will consider making a donation. This Amazon Wishlist reflects requests from the children’s hospital. The donations will help provide for needs of children battling cancer, and may brighten their day and ease the stresses of their fight.
“This cause is incredibly close to all of our hearts” said Carigan McGuinn. “We have been so inspired by the grace, strength, and bravery of kids our age fighting against this horrible disease, and wanted to do something to raise awareness. We really hope that the members of this community will come out to the show and donate items to benefit the children who are fighting pediatric cancer.”
The girls Instagram account, @cabaretagainstcancer, already has almost 100 followers watching behind-the -scenes videos and updates about the event. The girls also created a website and an email account, where they can answer questions.
Bailey McGuinn is a rising senior at Morristown High school and a member of its theater program and student board.
