Zoe (left) and Kira (right) Zizzo started the Jags Go Pink club at Rock Canyon High School to provide baskets full of comfort items to patients at the Sarah Cannon Breast Cancer Center at Sky Ridge Medical Center and to breast cancer survivors within the families of RCHS students.

By Maddy Merritt, RCHS intern writer; photo courtesy of Kira Zizzo

The Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) Jags Go Pink is a club founded by sisters Kira (sophomore) and Zoe (senior) Zizzo in which students hand-make care baskets to give to breast cancer patients at hospitals and breast cancer survivors in RCHS students’ families.

Kira and Zoe’s mom is a breast cancer survivor and inspired the sisters to form the club. “We made this club because that [what our mother went through] was a horrifying experience, and we’re going to do whatever we can to make other breast cancer warriors’ experiences a little less terrible. We want to do what we can to foster a community of positivity and healing around them,” Kira Zizzo said.

This year, the club has been coordinating with Sky Ridge Medical Center to be able to give the baskets to patients at the Sarah Cannon Breast Cancer Center (SCBCC). Each basket is comprised of a blanket, mastectomy seatbelt pillow, port pillow, rice pack, bracelet and note of encouragement.

A mastectomy seat belt pillow attaches to car seat belts for comfort for patients who have had mastectomies and are sore when in a car. A port pillow does the same but can also be used for everyday purposes. Rice packs can be put in the microwave and used for pain relief, and club members make the blankets and bracelets and write the notes of encouragement.

“It supports really good causes. I think Jags Go Pink is a really sincere club. It seems like they actually do care about the people they’re providing baskets for. It seems very generous,” Erin Malensek, Castle Pines resident, and sophomore at RCHS said.
Malensek signed up to be a member of the club at the RCHS annual clubs and activities fair in August where student-led clubs and organizations of RCHS share their goals and club information and try to recruit new members.

“I still get chills by how many people joined this club and come on a regular basis in order to help breast cancer patients, and I am so lucky to be a part of this,” Zoe Zizzo said.

To fund the club, Jags Go Pink members host bake sales during the year and accept basket donations. Completed baskets will be given to patients of the SCBCC and relatives of RCHS students multiple times throughout the year.

“We want to recruit as many people as we can to help with our cause and to help these breast cancer warriors and let them know that someone’s there for them, caring about them, and we want to make sure they’re getting better,” Kira Zizzo said.

To learn more or to make a donation, email jagsgopinkrchs@gmail.com.