Students carry the baton, raise $21k for Canadian Cancer Society
On May 14, Dakota Collegiate's student leadership presidents Himani Bhatt, Saylem Meleck, Vishnu Bhathela, and their committees hosted the third annual Relay for Life event.
In February, the Canadian Cancer Society, which runs the national fundraising series Relay for Life, trained committee captains on how to lead the event. Those captains took that training to their groups, and together, they planned recruitment, marketing, fundraising, sponsorship, ceremonies, entertainment, logistics, and finance.
The hours of preparation and training paid off in the end. On the day of the event, rain poured down, but the student leaders were prepared. They rushed about, and in a flash, they set up the gym with activities and games.
Students and staff in a dark gym move around rows of illuminated bags with messages written on them to honour those who have passed away from cancer, are battling cancer, or have survived cancer.
We were honoured to have community members Brent Stevenson, Carol Bouchard, Laurie Lundale, and Adele Nyriandikubwimana lead the survivor lap relay.
For the first time, several high schools from around the division, including J.H. Bruns, Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, and Windsor Park Collegiate, fundraised at their respective schools and sent a delegation to participate in the relay.
In total, 233 staff and students participated and beat their goal of $17,500, raising more than $21,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
