Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/19/17
From Press Release
Several Cabrini men’s lacrosse student-athletes recently did some manual labor on behalf of the HEADStrong Foundation. The Cavaliers worked at the newest Nick’s House Facility in Swarthmore.
The student-athletes did everything from yard work to demolition, as the facility is being redesigned from a residential single family home to a location that provides complimentary lodging for out-of-town patients and their families who are undergoing cancer related treatment.
The original Nick’s House opened in 20012 in Ridley, PA and has provided more than 2,700 night stays, welcoming families from 13 states who have traveled to Philadelphia for comprehensive cancer care.
Acquired in December 2016, the newest Nick’s House will provide more than 2,500 additional night stays annually. The guest house will be designed to meet the unique needs of patients, their families and caregivers.
The Cavaliers have a long standing relationship with the HEADStrong Foundation, as Cheryl Colleluori, the foundation’s president and mother of the home’s namesake is a member of the Cabrini Class of 2006.
Since 2006, Cheryl has been at the helm of the HEADStrong Foundation, preserving her son’s legacy by upholding his desire to help real families when they needed it most, providing support so that families may live with a greater dignity and normalcy.
Nicholas Colleluori fought to improve the inpatient experience, the affordability and accessibility of care and tackled the general concerns facing the patient population. Understanding the ripple effect and impact that a cancer diagnosis had on a family, Colleluori championed efforts to support caregivers and capital projects to improve accommodations.
He built an awareness platform driven by lime green shoelaces, the national awareness color for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He empowered his own family and in the last days of his life asked them to pick up the ball where he left off.
For more information about the HEADStrong Foundation or to learn how you can volunteer at Nick’s House, please visit the website at www.HEADstrong.org.