Noah Bell
Theme Editor
Costa’s Relay for Life Club worked with the American Cancer Society to host its annual Relay for Life cancer fundraiser at Waller Stadium May 13 and 14. The event raised a total of $21,000 for cancer research through the fundraising efforts of 27 teams comprised of Costa students.
Relay For Life is a global event in which participants form teams and raise money, each student competing to win the Overall Highest Contributor Award, which is awarded to the person who raises the most money. This year, junior Blake Laurita won the Highest Contributor Award, raising $2,300 for his team, Cancer Crush. Laurita reached out to family and friends for two weeks prior to the event through emails and phone calls. The team All Night For the Fight raised $6,280, led by freshmen Emily Fasano and Sydney Young, the highest total fundraised by a team for the 2017 event.
“Relay is so successful because it doesn’t just focus on the tragedy of the disease,” President of the Relay for Life Club and senior Sara Reynolds said. “Every year, cancer takes away millions of birthdays, but Relay is here to celebrate the birthdays that have been saved.”
Photos: A Look at Relay For Life
For the event, the teams spend 24 hours at the Costa track where they walk laps and participate in various events such as tribute ceremonies and games.
“At each event, we celebrate and remember the lives of loved ones and also fight back against this terrible disease,” Reynolds said “Relay for Life is a 24-hour event. Cancer doesn’t sleep, so neither do we.”
According to Reynolds, Costa’s Relay For Life Club spent a couple of months before the event planning so that everything would run smoothly by making sure that all of the essential things, like tents and performers, are set up beforehand.
“I fight and contribute to this cause, not only for my friends who have been touched by cancer, but also for the people who have shared their story with me and shown me how cancer can affect everyone across the globe,” Reynolds said. “The most rewarding part of this club is when people share their personal history with cancer and express how grateful they are to see a community fighting back just as much as they are.”
Throughout the day, participants spent time playing games, walking laps around the track, and dancing to music played by Costa students, including the band Working On History.
“Performing at Relay for Life was amazing, and I loved every second of it,” senior Omar Ahmed said, a member of Working On History. “It’s great to see all these people come together for a great cause and to help battle cancer.”
The Luminaria Ceremony takes place once the sun sets. Relay participants write the names of those who have been or currently are fighting cancer on a paper bag. These bags are then filled with lights and are spread around the track. After the ceremony, participants walk around the track in silence to remember those lost to cancer.
“Relay is special to me because it’s a whole community uniting around a common cause,” junior team captain of Comedy Sportz Shelby Friedman said. “Relay helped me channel my anger toward something positive when my mom was diagnosed because I channeled my feelings of anger and upset into my fundraising.”
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