A new addition to Redwood’s clubs has been brought to light this spring by two varsity sophomore cheerleaders, Lucie Ghelfi and Colette Reidy. The two co-founders shared that they wanted to start Cheer for Change because of the various opportunities Redwood’s cheer team has and how they want every cheerleader to have equal funding opportunities.
The club was started on Jan. 25, and currently has six members that are all varsity cheerleaders. They meet once a month and primarily communicate outside of school to plan fundraisers and find partnerships with local schools.
Reidy has been a part of the cheer program for the past two years and explains the various impacts cheerleading has had on her.
“We love that we have the opportunity to cheer through Redwood’s cheerleading program and we know that other people aren’t as fortunate so we wanted to give back to our community and help bring cheer and positivity to those around us,” Reidy said.
So far, the club has had one fundraiser at Corte Madera Town Park and has been planning future events. Through a recent bake sale they were able to fundraise a few hundred dollars to be donated to local cheer teams.
Ghelfi, the other Cheer for Change co-founder, shared her plans on partnerships and donations to local schools’ cheer teams.
“We are partnering with sister schools in the East and South bay that don’t have enough funding or schools that are making a dance team instead, to help spread awareness about how amazing cheer is and how it’s often overlooked as a sport,” Ghelfi said.
Club treasurer Steele Early has been a part of cheer for the past two years. She reflected on what cheer means to her and what she hopes for in other local communities.
“Personally through my experiences, cheer has created a family for me and I want the same for other communities,” Early said.
Many club members also spoke about the importance of using social media to spread further information about their club. Cheer for Change uses a shared instagram account to bring community to their club and share it with other students: @cheer.for.change
Sophomore club member Sasha Malek who has been on the cheer team for the past two years, believes social media is a great way to raise awareness and share information about the club and its purpose.
“It helps people, especially students learn more about the club and I feel like spreading awareness through the use of social media is a really great way to do that,” Malek said.
Sophomore club secretary Perrin Fox highlighted how Cheer for Change brings together the Redwood student body and various outside cheer communities.
“I think [Cheer for Change] really bonds us together because we all have a shared passion for cheer and everyone understands that cheer is so special which will continue pushing us and others to continue fundraising,” Fox said.
Many club members also brought up how Redwood Cheer is looking for a new coach for their fall season and their concerns of people being opposed to joining cheer due to the fact they don’t currently have a coach.
Ghelfi highlighted how she wants to contribute to helping incoming highschoolers interested in cheer. She said Cheer for Change members want to run clinics or have more fundraisers to motivate rising freshmen to try out for cheer.
Reidy said that now more than ever, Cheer for Change is especially important to show people how special cheer is as a sport and to spread equal opportunities across the Bay Area.
“In the off chance that we don’t end up having a coach next year, then our club could really help, and not necessarily replace that program but just step up and inspire people to stick with cheerleading even if there isn’t enough coaching,” Reidy said.
