Strikes Against Cancer

When Dave and Alicia (Davidson) Villiotti met at Chartiers Valley High School, they didn’t know what life had in store for them. Thirteen years later, they are married with two young daughters, two dogs and a nonprofit organization. 

After losing a close friend to cancer in 2011, Dave and Alicia felt the urge to do something, so they started fundraising for the Livestrong Foundation. They organized their first bowling event fundraiser at the Meadows Lanes at the Meadows Casino in 2012.

“When we lost our friend so quickly and wished that there was more we could do, it left us wanting to help people however we could,” said Alicia. “We didn’t – and still don’t – have the means to personally affect people’s lives, but we knew that if we could organize a group of people, together we could make a change.”

Dave and Alicia started fundraising to help people whose lives were impacted by cancer. Their annual bowling event has grown over the year and became the inspiration for their non-profit organization, Strikes Against Cancer.

“This past year, we decided we wanted to see the money we raised directly support people in our area, so we decided to start our own 501c3 non-profit organization,” said Dave.

The mission of Strikes Against Cancer is to support those affected by cancer.

“Our mission is intentionally broad to give us the ability to help individuals as we hear stories of people who need our help,” said Dave.

“Our goal is to keep growing and keep reaching more people,” added Alicia. “Cancer probably affects all of us in one way or another, so there will never be a shortage of people to help.”

This year, Dave and Alicia are once again organizing their annual bowling fundraiser. The event will be held at the bowling alley at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino on April 25 from 11:30 am to 3 pm. The event includes three hours of bowling, trivia, a silent auction, a chance auction and a buffet. The emcee at this year’s event will be KDKA reporter, Amy Wadas, who is also a Chartiers Valley alum.

The best way to get tickets is on the Strikes Against Cancer website – www.strikesagainstcancer.net. Tickets will also be sold at the door, if there are any left.

“Despite being held at a casino, the event is open to all ages and is truly a family event,” said Dave.
Dave and Alicia both graduated from Chartiers Valley in 2002. Alicia went on to Gordon College in Massachussetts while Dave attended Penn State University. After their graduations, they both held many jobs across the U.S. and Dave even went back to school at the University of Pittsburgh to earn another degree – this time in accounting.  Today, in addition to running Strikes Against Cancer, Dave works in the accounting department at CONSOL Energy and Alicia stays home with their two young daughters – Sidney, 2 and Addison, 6 months.

According to Dave, he learned a lot while at Chartiers Valley, but the class that really helped him figure out what he wanted to do was accounting.

“I took the class because my dad was an accountant and I wanted to learn more about what he did at work,” said Dave. “However, when I took the class, I realized that accounting was what I wanted to do as my career as well.”

Alicia also learned a lot about herself and her interests while at Chartiers Valley, which heled guide her college and career path. And she made lifelong friends – many of whom she considers her family – along the way.

“CV prepared me [for my life] by giving me a foundation to enter adulthood,” said Alicia.
The pair has many fond memories of their alma mater, but they both agree their favorite is the Sadies Hawkins dance of their senior year.

“We went to the dance together, started dating that night, and five years later, we got married,” said Dave.

For more information about Dave and Alicia’s non-profit organization, Strikes Against Cancer, visit www.strikesagainstcancer.net.

Painting with a Twist

Jill Lena Ford (left) and Emily Marko (right)

Chartiers Valley alumni and sisters Emily Marko and Jill Lena Ford wanted to find a way to give back to the Chartiers Valley art program – a program that impacted both of their lives when they were in school.

Today, the sisters have both made careers out of their passion for art. Emily (Chartiers Valley Class of 1995) is a graphic artist and visual problem solver, and Jill (Chartiers Valley Class of 1996) is a professional artist specializing in ‘organic mixed media’ paintings.

Emily and Jill are hosting a fundraiser at Painting with a Twist Pittsburgh West studio on Sunday, March 15 from 2 to 5 pm. The fundraiser will help raise money to hold an art show at the end of the year to showcase Chartiers Valley student work. In addition, Emily and Jill are hoping to raise enough through the fundraiser to offer an art scholarship to a Chartiers Valley senior.

“[My sister and I] were both lucky enough to have teachers at Chartiers Valley who influenced us to follow our creative paths,” said Emily. “We now want to do our part to give back to these upcoming artists by providing not only a top notch art show for the students to experience, but also give them a head start in their future with the scholarship award.”

The Pittsburgh themed fundraiser event offers guests the choice of two painting selections – “Starry Night Over Pittsburgh” or “City Lights.” Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to Chartiers Valley to help support the art show and scholarship awards.

The Chartiers Valley connection runs even deeper than the fundraiser hosts. The painting class will be taught by Chartiers Valley alumna Karla Gearhart, who is now an art teacher at Riverview School District. In addition, Michaela Maderic, a senior at Chartiers Valley, will also be there to assist painters during the event.

For Emily and Jill, hosting this fundraiser seemed like the perfect way to support the arts and their alma mater.

“Art is an integral part of learning and innovating,” explained Emily. “Creative arts play a large part in brain development, expanding our perspectives of the world, helping us to understand and express ourselves, and most importantly, push parameters of our intellect to solve the big problems of the world.”

In addition to their passion for the arts, the sisters look back at their time at Chartiers Valley fondly and recognize the role the faculty played in helping to shape who they have become.

“I had many inspirational teachers throughout my time at Chartiers Valley,” said Emily. “They recognized my passion for the creative arts and provided support in developing my technical and artistic skills. This gave me the experience and confidence I needed to focus on graphic design in college.”

“My years at Chartiers Valley helped me to foster my love of the arts and focus on my creative skills and talents,” added Jill. “With the support of my art teachers at CV, I had the knowledge, skill and confidence to follow my path in the arts.”

Registration for the event is currently open and the cost is $45 for the three hour class, which includes supplies and instruction. For more information or to register, call the studio at 412-787-7928 or register online at: http://www.paintingwithatwist.com/pittsburgh-west/

A special thank you to Emily Marko and Jill Lena Ford for organizing and hosting this fundraiser.