It's going to be a bitter Sweet 16 for Gianna Tommarello.
The 15-year-old sophomore at Vincentian Academy in McCandless will spend the day honoring a grandmother she never met and hosting a party to raise money for a disease she could one day inherit.
"I never met my dad's mom, who died at age 58 from breast cancer," said Tommarello of Pine. "That she died from breast cancer and that I could one day get it really made me think about doing something that will enhance research and help find a cure."
Gianna, whose actual birthday was Monday, will celebrate her 16th birthday with a party on Saturday. She's decorated the HyTyre Farms clubhouse with pink balloons and tablecloths; designed pink M&M's with ribbons on them; and will be wearing a black dress with a pink sash. She's asked her friends and family to write her checks or give her cash that she'll donate to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
"My birthday, Dec. 6, is the Feast of St. Nicholas. He was the gift-giving saint, so I thought it would be nice to give gifts rather than receive them," she said.
Gianna's charity has not gone unnoticed by patrons of her mother's hair salon, many of whom took out their checkbooks when the heard about the teen's plans.
"The party is kind of snowballing because customers ask how she is, and when I tell them about the party they want to help," said Gianna's mom, Laurie Tommarello. "They're so excited that a young girl would do this."
Celebrating a birthday by giving to charity is popular with people who don't want for anything.
Actresses Kristen Bell and Alyssa Milano each teamed up with Charity: Water, to solicit donations to bring clean drinking water to impoverished nations; country music superstar Taylor Swift on her 20th birthday last year donated $250,000 to the education system to help fund school programs, buy books and pay teacher salaries.
"It's remarkable that young people today, who are viewed as having everything they want or need, really getting behind giving to charity," said the Rev. Kris Stubna, secretary for education at the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. "I think it really surprises people."
Laurie Tommarello said all of Gianna's friends are getting into the giving spirit. The boys in her class are even excited about wearing pink.
"I've never seen anything so contagious for kids that are usually so into themselves," she said.
