The High School North and South Relay for Life clubs will host Relay Around the World, a charity event to culminate a year of fundraising for cancer research and prevention, on Saturday, May 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at South.
Relay for Life (RFL) “is the signature fundraising event for the American Cancer Society and how we get most of the money to fund research, offer local programs and offer services to cancer patients,” says Michelle DeChristopher, the Mercer County community manager for RFL.
Due to the structure of the school district, the WW-P RFL event is run differently from most. Instead of having one committee to help organize for the event as well as fundraise throughout the year, each high school has its own committee.
These committees hold school-wide events throughout the year to augment fundraising efforts, but work in close coordination to hold the final event. The North club is led by seniors Jenny Oh and Hannah Cai, while the South club is led by seniors Arushi Patel and Daksh Bhatia.
The two committees worked together to come up with a theme for the final event. This year, they chose Relay Around The World. “For the event, we will have music and dance performances of different cultures, such as an Irish step dancing performance as well as sports tournaments, food from different cultures, and even a pie-eating contest. Throughout the event, we will be raising money through on-site fundraisers by each team, such as henna tattoos,” Patel says.
The event will also shine a spotlight on those in the community who are facing or have faced cancer. “At Relay we really like to celebrate our cancer survivors. They are the celebrities of the event,” DeChristopher says. “We start off by having the survivors cut a ribbon and walk the first lap. Then we offer a free catered dinner to them and a caregiver. To cherish the memory of those we have lost, we have a ceremony called the Luminaria ceremony. We sell white paper bags that one can decorate in honor or in memory of someone. These bags line the track of our event and we light them and do a silent lap in their honor. It’s a very touching ceremony.”
Bhatia, the co-leader of the South club, says that students and members of the community should come to the event “ because they’ll have fun. Not only will they see their friends there, get to play basketball and volleyball with teachers, and eat great food, but they’ll also get to experience a unique and amazing atmosphere.”
The fee for the event is $10 at the door. “We would like to encourage those who have been affected by cancer in our community, including survivors and caregivers, to join us at the event for free — the survivors and caregivers lap will be at 7:05 p.m. and will be followed by a dinner. The Luminaria Ceremony will take place at 9:30,” Patel says.
Patel describes her role in the fight against cancer through the events she helps organize at South: “I work with the rest of the committee to organize the events throughout the year, such as the final event, Relay Idol, and the Student-Faculty Volleyball Tournament. Furthermore, I try to encourage other students and team captains to spread cancer awareness and help them with any of their personally run fundraisers,” Patel says.
Cai, one of North’s co-leaders, details the fundraising events the North RFL club helped set up throughout the year, including the Cheeburger Cheeburger give-back night, a Christmas movie fundraiser, Cancer Awareness Month, Pennies for Patients, Relay Recess, and Mr. North, among others.
The final event is “a gathering of all volunteers and cancer survivors with their families to celebrate the hard work throughout the year. However, more importantly it is to symbolize the meaning of this club that ‘cancer never stops’ and we symbolize this by walking around the gym,” North co-leader Oh says.
“We believe the event will help cherish memories of those who have lost their lives to cancer and cancer survivors because we come together to celebrate that they are still alive, remember those who have died, and fight back. We share our individual experiences and come together which we believe is meaningful to everyone participating in Relay,” she says.
Cai stresses the importance of the personal impact of cancer in the committees’ lives in the work they put in for the club. “I initially joined RFL through North’s club because I simply found the cause to be worthy. I never realized how closely cancer could affect my life until two months after joining the club, when my cousin’s aunt was diagnosed with terminal cancer and a close family friend relapsed,” Cai says.
“My eyes were opened to the reality of cancer and the suffering that both cancer patients and their caregivers experience. Through these two individuals, I found a deeper meaning in being a member of RFL, and they have continued to motivate me to dedicate myself to this cause since then.”
Relay Around the World, Relay for Life, High School South Gymnasium, Clarksville Road. Saturday, May 16, 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. $10. www.relayforlife.org/WWPHSJ or 800-227-2345.
Muchhal, a sophomore at High School South, is a member of the RFL committee.
