Sacred Heart High School students hosted their first-ever Relay for Life fundraising event on Friday and it was a big success, raising at least $16,800 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Despite cold and windy weather, participants walked laps draped in blankets and huddled together to stay warm.
The day started off with an opening ceremony where a few survivors from the community shared their cancer stories and led the first lap around the track.
A luminary ceremony started once it got dark that had almost everyone in tears. Students shared what it was like to watch their loved ones battle cancer and in some cases die from the disease.
“It was very emotional and touching to see how many students are affected by cancer and it just goes to show how all the participants were there for the right reason: they were there to fight back, to honour the survivors and remember those who lost their battle,” wrote Grade 12 student Anna Ploeg in an email to StittsvilleCentral.ca.
“By the end of the evening all participants felt close as if we were all a little family. Students approached me and thanked me for the amazing day and told me that they were for sure going to participate again next year and recruit more of their friends to join too,” wrote Ploeg.
“The relay committee and myself owe a big thank you to our corporate sponsors. To OzDome for their fantastic facility and being so incredibly accommodating, they have already promised to host Sacred’s Relay event next year! To Giant Tiger who were so willing and excited to help the cause, Giant Tiger donated a generous amount and Friendly the tiger stopped by to say hello to all the students. And finally Combat Networks who also gave a generous donation and helped sort the cans for the food banks that students brought with to the sign in tent, staff from the company stopped by several times throughout the evening and offered to help with anything that needed to get done,” wrote Ploeg.
Although the event is over, students are still collecting donations. people can still donate online.
