Friday, June 9, 2017 5 Brooklin Town Crier Brooklin High Raises $50,000 for Canadian Cancer Society By Sam Yacob On behalf of BHS Relay for Life Committee On May 26, Brooklin High School conducted its first annual Relay for Life, a 12-hour event that brought together 300 students and teachers to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society. It was run by the 40 students in Susan Shoemaker's Semester 1 and 2 Business Leadership classes. Throughout the school year, our committee had run small fundraisers, like the Brooklin Cure Cup, in the lead up to the Relay for Life. The Relay is a community of 25,000 students from over 150 high schools across Ontario comprised of individuals, teams of friends, families and colleagues who celebrate cancer survivors and remember those they've lost. It's a commitment to raising funds to fight all types of cancer. This first Relay's opening ceremonies were kicked off by Co-chairs Alana Spikes and myself followed by several speakers including Principal Warren Palmer and a teacher, Mrs. Hodowanski. After the opening ceremonies, the first lap of Relay was led by cancer survivors who were followed by students on the track Helping research Odane Finnegan, from the Canadian Cancer Society, also spoke to the importance of events like this one. With the money schools raise, researchers are better able to understand and diagnose rare forms of cancer. In fact, Canada's survival rate has now increased to 63%. While the number is higher today than ever before, Brooklin students relayed for the hope that one day the survival rate would reach 100%. Students signed up in teams and throughout the day they took several laps on the school track. This symbolized the physical effects, emotions, and mental state of a cancer patient while undergoing treatment. Off the track, there were many activities including bubble soccer, face-painting, basketball, and dodgeball. There were also food trucks, a DJ, a performance by the teacher band and one teacher, James Cook, got part of his arm waxed. A final lap The event closed at 9 pm with a luminary ceremony. Students and teachers came on stage to share stories of how cancer had affected them and their families. It was an emotional ceremony that was capped off by a final walk around the track. Relay was an emotional rollercoaster. But there was one final event: A neon light dance. As the dance came to a close, the committee announced we had raised $50,000. When planning the event, the goal was to raise $30,000. However, with the support of businesses, students and teachers, we raised an additional $20,000. This is the first year of the Brooklin Relay and as the school and community grow, there is no doubt that the following years will raise more money for cancer research. Next year's committee will be looking for new partners, donors, and supporters. If you can help out, email bhsrelayinfo@gmail.com. To see more event photos, follow Brooklin Relay on Instagram and Twitter (@BrooklinRFL).