Woburn's Childhood Cancer Event Served 'To Give the Kids a Voice'

As the sun set on Thursday night, a glow reflected on the clouds in the sky above Woburn Common. It was fitting because as nightfall set in, a glow was also emitted from City Hall with the building lit up yellow during a ceremony honoring September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The event drew a large crowd of residents who bought gold t-shirts, cookies and balloons and some even stopped to paint their nails with a gold polish. Mayor Scott Galvin was among the speakers to step to the microphone, and there was also a musical performance as well.

“No one thinks about childhood cancer until they become a parent of a child with cancer,” said event organizer Brenda Cirone. “So we just wanted to give the kids a voice, because they can’t fight cancer alone.”

Woburn native John Murphy opened his musical selection by fittingly performing “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young. After opening remarks by Galvin, childhood cancer advocates Nancy Whipple and Tony Stoddard spoke to the crowd.

Galvin said he wasn’t surprised to see such strong support from the Woburn community during the event.

“It seems like there’s a different kind of community fundraiser every weekend, and the people of Woburn are always willing to open up their pocket books and wallets to help,” said Galvin. “But it’s not only that. It’s the time and the compassion that people have for everyone that lives here. It’s just a great place to live.”