THUNDER BAY – Students at Sir Winston Churchill Collegiate and Vocational Institute weren’t sure what to expect when they agreed to host this year’s scaled down Relay for Life event.
The final results were more than they could have imagined.
More than 200 students took part in the Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser, which took the place as part of a much larger event traditionally held at Fort William Historical Park, and collected $14,791, far surpassing what they thought they’d bring in.
“We were expecting a lot less than that, and for the amount that we got, we were very happy to see the community gave so much toward the movement,” Lane said.
This despite some complications with their fundraising website that delayed the start of collecting pledges.
Lane said students at the school, slated to close a year from now, like the idea of being the keeper of the Relay for Life Flame.
“I think it’s very important to keep it alive because … when we go away we’ll be remembered for that,” said Lane, who promised to try to keep the event alive when he switches over to Westgate Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 2018.
That’s news Dani Ashley likes to hear.
A Relay for Life youth co-ordinator with the Canadian Cancer Society, she works with students to help make localized events a success.
It was exciting to hear that students at Churchill wanted to help the cause, she said.
“It’s been a blast working with them,” she said.
“We’re really excited to see what the students have accomplished this year. That’s going to go toward programs we have throughout the community, provincially and nationally, as well as different research program that we have.”
Lane said it was an easy choice to get involved for many of the teens who took part.
“It was an event that was particularly special to some here because we have people who have had family members who were affected by cancer,” Lane said.
Principal Ryan McDonnell said that’s the type of attitude tries to foster.
“Cancer is one of those things that is everywhere, that touches all of us. Many of the kids in our community have had really close experiences with cancer. Several kids have lost parents to cancer, so this really hits close to home and they wanted to do something about it,” McDonnell said. “It was a great community event for our school and a great leadership opportunity for the students on the committee.”
