Gold Out Shines Light On Zachary Schwartz's Memory

Zachary Schwartz, who died of leukemia in 2019, would have been a senior this year at Brewster High School. He is dearly missed by his Brewster community.

“Zachary was my friend, he was in all of my classes, he played football, he played baseball, he was so special,” said Madison Dakin, President of Brewster Students Against Cancer.
Football coach Joseph Parrello said “Zach Schwartz was everything you want in a player and a teammate. He was smart, funny, coachable and most importantly always put the team first. Even when he was sick, he portrayed these characteristics and lived every day to the fullest.”

His baseball coach Jason Mariella said, ”On the field, Big Z was everything a coach could possibly ask for. He never missed a practice, he always gave one hundred percent and he always had a smile. He gave his team his best at the plate, on the mound and at first base. Off the field he was simply the most inspiring young man God has blessed the world with. As he was battling Leukemia he spent his time starting “ZACC ATTACK “ to help other children battling cancer.”

Zachary cared deeply about helping others. He focussed his energy in service of those like himself, creating the Relay for Life team, “ZACC ATTACK” - Zach Attacks Childhood Cancer” overseeing fundraisers, sporting events and designing a t-shirt spelling “ZACC” that depicted the beloved sports that were dear to his heart.

Zachary chose to use his time to make the world a better place and he chose to give everything he had to fight, to achieve his goals and to live a “normal life”. He taught us that it's important to appreciate the humor in everyday things and that, no matter what you're going through, you just have to live.

To keep Zachary’s memory alive and raise awareness and money for childhood cancer, BSAC, together with ZACC ATTACK, teamed up this fall and organized a Gold Out football game. Before the game, Jason Wood read a tribute to Zachary. The Schwartz Family took center field for the coin toss and was presented with a Bears jersey by the Senior Captains purchased by the PTSA. By the end of the Gold Out, they had raised an impressive $4,428 by selling 320 gold t-shirts with the words “ZACC ATTACK;” organizing a bake sale and soliciting online donations. The funds raised go towards fighting pediatric cancer.

Zachary’s parents wanted ZACC ATTACK to have more of a presence within the school community to raise awareness of childhood cancer. His mother, Joelle Schwartz, a teacher at C.V. Starr Intermediate School said, “we are very grateful to the district, BSAC, the PTSA and the football team for honoring Zachary and ZACC ATTACK and raising awareness for childhood cancer. We are hopeful September will remain a month to recognize ZACC ATTACK and raise awareness for childhood cancer with the Gold Out game and other activities.”

To donate to this very important cause: Donate HERE for PEDIATRIC CANCER Research and Support