On Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, students participated in the Relay for Life event held at Cuesta Park. A 24 hour relay was held from 10 a.m. on Saturday to 10 a.m. on Sunday, the donations of which will be given to the American Cancer Society.
Sophomore Harrison Beck, the Youth Engagement Chair on the committee, helped promote and coordinate the event. Members of the Interact Club and varsity boys volleyball volunteered to run, as well as many other students not affiliated with these two organizations.
“I was very pleased with the youth participation,” Harrison said. “We had a large number of students show up. We played games throughout the day and several slept overnight. It was my first relay, but I had a blast and am looking forward to next year!”
While trying to fundraise for the event, Harrison was unsure of how to get his friends and classmates to donate. On April 28, he posted a status on Facebook saying that if he got $150 in donations he would wear a tutu to school the next day. Donations poured in, and sophomore David Stein and junior Nathan Smith, also from the volleyball team, decided to join in. More members of the team joined in and together they raised more than $400 to contribute to the American Cancer Society as part of the event.
The event itself involved games and themed laps, as well as more serious events, such as the luminaria ceremony.
“Families could buy a paper bag with a candle, write a short message about someone [who] has died, or is fighting cancer,” Harrison said. “Then at 9 p.m. we lit the candles and placed the bags around the track. It is an incredibly moving ceremony and is incredibly amazing to watch.”
Overall, the Relay for Life event was a success for Los Altos students, and Harrison enjoyed his experience being Youth Engagement Chair.
“While working on the committee, I got to know many different people, and their stories and how they were affected by cancer,” Harrison said. “It is amazing how so many different people can rally around a common goal and really make a difference.”
