Relay for Life has been an integral part of Niles North’s community involvement and student led volunteer work for a long time. But this year, Relay for Life has once again set their fundraising expectations to a higher level, setting an astonishing goal of raising $100,000 for this year’s event. With only two weeks until the June 8 event at Niles West, this year’s committee is finalizing plans to make the 2012 event the the best yet.
Led by senior president Jeff Fox and senior vice president Robby Moss, this year’s Relay board has not merely set the fundraising goals high, but hopes to reach a large attendance count as well, with a goal of featuring more than 70 registered teams. “I expect great success from this year’s event, as the leadership from the Relay committee has really come together and increased student involvement, fundraising, and most of all, awareness,” Fox said.
For those who have not yet joined Relay or attended a Relay for Life event, the primary goal is to raise money for the American Cancer Society, which in turn applies the money towards patient services, various programs designed to make treatment easier on patients, research for cures, and various other applications designed to alleviate the devastating impact of cancer on current victims and help in the fight for a cure. The name Relay for Life originates from the first event held by Dr. Gordy Klatt, who ran for 24 hours straight, totaling 83 miles and raising $27,000 on his own from supporters.
Luckily, today’s event is far less physically demanding, but equally beneficial, encouraging each participant to raise at least $100 and band together in teams which work together to meet personal fund raising goals and the goal of the event. At the end of the year, everyone registered gets together and spends around 12 hours together overnight camping out and engaging in various activities on the Niles West track.
With the fundraising stages of the year coming to a close, the Relay for Life online entries for donations (representing only a small part of the event’s generated donations) already includes student leaders such as senior Angela Theoderopolous, who has raised $2,805 for the event, and leaders from our community, such as Tess Santayana , who has raised $1,115. As the past two years events have had rain, and consequently been held in the field house, this year’s planning committee has created not only a thorough outdoor plan of activities but a contingency plan for an indoor event as well, in the event of storms. Regardless of the weather, participants this year can look forward to an extensive “Relay Olympics,” which will allow teams to enter into various competitions ranging from athletic events to various talent-based events. Teams will then be cumulatively scored based on their performance in a wide variety of events.
“We’ve done a lot of planning for various activities throughout the event so students have the option to be constantly occupied or go off and participate in their own activities” explained vice president Moss. In addition to various sports competitions, such as the Ultimate Frisbee competition featured in the past, this year’s music lineup also features several well known performers from Niles North, including Jeremy Calimag, Nina Roy, Avery Wells, Jonathon Luk and several others.
For those interested in participating in this year’s Relay for Life, it’s not too late! With about than two weeks until the event, it’s not too late to begin fundraising. To register for this year’s event and get started, visit the link below.
