Pink attire, nails, and hairspray filled the halls on Oct. 24 for the Relay For Life Planning Committee’s kick-off fundraising event and celebration of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
This club raises money for the American Cancer Society. Throughout the year, the Relay For Life Club holds numerous events to raise money and awareness for their cause. Some of the larger events include, going to Hope Lodge in New York City, and the National American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
“Think Pink Day was a great success, and the whole school got involved with supporting such an important cause,” said junior and Relay Coach Ali Goetze. “Throughout the day, as you walked through the hallway and saw all of your peers wearing pink, the school seemed unified.”
The club encouraged students and faculty to wear pink on this day to show their support. With the newly enforced school health restrictions, the club was unable to sell food, as they had in past years. Thus, they had to get creative. During periods 4.1 and 4.2, in the lobby, the coaches worked to spread the pink spirit. Some sprayed students’ hair pink. Others, painted students’ fingers pink to symbolize a “pinkie promise” that they will make sure their loved ones get checked for breast cancer. In addition, they gave out pink pins and ribbons. The club requested donations of any amount in support of the cause.
“It was so awesome how everyone was so into Think Pink Day,” said sophomore and Relay coach Jessica Hyland. “I felt we were really making a difference.”
Coaches raised a total of $400, which they were proud of, due to the circumstances. Without the ability to sell food, the members of Relay for Life expected to raise less money this year. Because they raised more money than they expected, the club deemed the day a financial success.
“[The event] got people excited for the New Year and showed we could raise money without bake sales,” said sophomore and Relay coach Rachel Reisman.
With every dollar collected by a club, the question of how much money actually goes to the organization arises. Most of the money raised from the numerous events run by Relay For Life at Schreiber goes to the much larger, and well-known organization, the American Cancer Society. The club does, however, have to keep a small percentage of their earnings for themselves to use for future investments. Additionally, a fraction of the money it raises goes to the school.
Think Pink Day was only the beginning of an active year planned by this club. The largest event many students look forward to at the end of the year is the National American Cancer Society Relay for Life. This night is filled with performers, charities, community members, and students coming together to celebrate cancer survivors, support those currently suffering from the disease, and raising money for future cancer research.