REAGAN FITZKE
In several instances, there have been times when Mountain Vista students came together to support peers and their families. Last year support arose for the Hutto family. Dean Hutto, father of former student Jake and now-sophomore Sam Hutto, had a lung transplant in the fall of 2014. Students wrote “DH” on the back of their hands for school and a football game to raise awareness. They also donated to a fundraiser to help the financial situation of the Hutto family.
This summer, students have come together once again for a family that has made a significant impact on Mountain Vista. In May, Susan Cash, wife of football coach Ric Cash and mother of two Vista students, was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. Stage 3 indicates that the cancer has spread from the original tumor to the surrounding lymph nodes and muscles. She began treatment shortly after.
In response, on July 16, former student Matthew Morris organized a Chick-Fil-A fundraiser for the family. Morris was a football player for Coach Cash during his time at Mountain Vista.
“Coach Cash has been such an important figure in my life as my football coach, teacher and friend, so when I heard about his wife, it really hurt me as well,” Morris said. “I saw there was a GoFundMe page created to raise money, but I thought that more could be done with a little effort and will, so I decided to work on how I could help the cause.”
Morris’ sister originally came up with the idea of partnering with Chick-Fil-A and he decided to go through with it. He set the events up at both Chick-Fil-A locations in Highlands Ranch and spread the word through social media and flyers.
Senior Kat Cash, daughter of Susan Cash, was surprised to hear about the event. “I didn’t know that they were set up. I got invited to the Chick-Fil-A fundraiser and that was the first I had heard about it or seen anything about it,” Kat said. “No one in my family had any idea. As soon as my mom saw it she got all teary-eyed and said she couldn’t believe it was happening.”
The Chick-Fil-A fundraisers along with a car wash raised over $1200 for the family. There are still more plans in the works to have more fundraisers. You can help the Cash family and donate at gofundme.com/v6ymkc.
