With pink bandanas around their heads, arms or legs and dressed in pink clothes, 300 Campus Community Elementary School students hit the Dover roller rink Nov. 14.

    Skate for a Cause was set in motion as a way to raise awareness and money to help the school’s nurse, Jan Jordan, who was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in early October.

    Stage IV describes invasive breast cancer that has spread to other organs of the body.

    Jordan has already started treatment, but only recently came back to school and was not mentally ready to attend the fundraiser, said her friend and school principal Trish Hermance.

    “Campus Community school is more than just a school, it’s a family,” she said. “And when families have trouble they come together.”

    Pete Moran, the school’s physical education teacher, said when he heard about the diagnosis he knew he had to do something because Jordan has been such a mentor to him since he started working at Campus Community.

    “Then I saw my roller blades in my basement and it started me thinking,” he said. Moran had already planned to do a physical education field trip so the fundraiser where students raised pledges and trip became combined.

    Anytime someone is able to help another and have fun at the same time is great, Moran said, adding that the toughest part was spreading the news to other teachers and parents.

    “She is more than just a nurse,” Moran wrote in an email. “She is a terrific counselor, role model, teacher and friend to all of us at CCS.”

    However, once the news was out, the donations and support were overwhelming, said Hermance, adding they raised approximately $4,000 with the help of students and supportive parents.

    “People see you are doing a good thing and it’s contagious,” Moran said.

    The parents were very supportive because the school is such a small community where everybody knows everybody, he said. He also had his classes make posters with breast cancer ribbons and let them compete against each other, which helped with the fundraiser’s success.

    Erin Hogan, a first-grade student at the school, said she helped raise money by asking people in her family because the money is needed to pay for all the cancer stuff.

    Second-grader Blake Hermance said they really, really wanted to help. He and third-grader Ryan Hesterman were both wearing pink shirts at the roller skating rink, something they said they don’t normally wear.

    Ryan said his favorite part of the day was raising money and having fun, and Blake said he enjoyed playing video games, while the crowd of students listening around them started humming the ever-popular “Chicken Dance” song.

    Both Moran and Hermance said they’ve been answering a lot of questions from students, and although many have an idea of what cancer is, perhaps they don’t realize how serious it can be.

    Sometimes kids are left feeling like they can’t do anything about a disease like cancer, and it’s good for them to have a positive way to do something with a fundraiser like Skate for a Cause, Hermance said.

    It also picks up on one the school’s philosophies, which is although people can’t control what happens to them, they can control how they deal with it, she said.

    Aside from students, parents and teachers, the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition came to the event to pass out the free pink bandanas to the skaters. Intern Jillian Olaogun said events like Skate for a Cause are great for awareness and just what the coalition is there to support.

    Olaogun also agreed that the younger students might understand Jordan is sick, but they won’t understand the seriousness of stage IV breast cancer.

    The coalition already has taken steps to set Jordan up with a breast cancer survivor mentor.

    “As survivors, we understand what she’s going through,” said volunteer Serena Pelletier.

    There will be another fundraiser for Jordan held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Bubba’s with an auction and dinner, Hermance said.

    Email Jayne Gest at jayne.gest@doverpost.com