By Dana Klosner-Wehner
The kids, their parents and other community members are getting ready to put on their walking shoes and raise money for a good cause.
For the second time, the school is participating in Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It’s an overnight event taking place on May 29 and 30.
“The idea is cancer doesn’t sleep, so we don’t sleep,” said Kristen Milio, chairwoman of the English department at the school who is co-chairing the event with English teacher Dorothy Drexel.
Tents will be set-up on the football field. Team members will take turns sleeping and walking on the track. Someone from each team will be on the track at all times.
The event will start at 6 p.m. and end at 6 a.m. the following morning. The festivities begin with a dinner for cancer survivors in the cafeteria, said Lisa Schack, director of special events for the American Cancer Society. After the dinner the survivors come out to the track and walk the first lap.
“The survivors are treated like celebrities,” Schack said. “They have their dinner then they make their grand appearance.”
Survivors and their caretakers walk the second lap, Milio said. Then the rest of the teams take to the track.
At 9 p.m. there is a Luminary ceremony where people who have lost their battle to cancer are remembered. “People are given little white bags with candles in them,” she said. “At 9 p.m. they light the candles. They spell out ‘Hope” in the bleachers, it’s very touching.”
At 11 p.m. there is the “Fight Back” ceremony, where each team holds up banners that they made that state why they are there. “Some may say, ‘I’m here for my mother who lost her battle three years ago,’ or ‘We’re fighting back for a cancer free future,’” Schack said.
Throughout the evening there are fun events to help people stay awake. There will be events like a pie-eating contest, a hula-hoop contest and Karaoke, Schack said.
This isn’t an event where people sponsor walkers, Schack said. Instead individual fundraisers raise money. “People come up with unique ideas,” she said. “In some offices, they do ransom notes, where they steal each others staplers and ask for ransom to give it back.” People also hold garage sales, bake sales and dinner dances. Sometimes kids do Battle of the Bands and bowling nights.
“The kids in Franklin Square are so energetic,” Schack said. “They have all sorts of ideas. They want to do a Karaoke night at a Baskin Robbins, Battle of the Bands and an outside sporting event. There have been 70-80 people attending the meetings. That’s really incredible. We usually have about 10.”
Two years ago, the last time Carey held Relay for Life, the event raised $80,000. “Our goal is $100,000 this year,” Milio said.
In Nassau County, there are about 15 sites holding relays between April and June, Schack said. Last year Nassau County raised about $1 million.
Relay for Life, an international event, was started in 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, “who walked a track all night long and raised thousands of dollars,” Schack said. “From there it’s grown to what it is today.”
The school will be holding a kick-off event on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. in Dining Hall South. “There will be computers set up where people can register to be team captains,” Milio said.
A captain has the responsibility of recruiting team members, organizing fundraising events and acting as a liaison between the American Cancer Society and the team members. Captains must attend one ACS meeting a month and report the information back to the team members.
Captains can have as many members as they want. Teams can have as little as two people or up to 30 people.
The meeting is open to anyone who is interested in participating in the event.
If you can’t make it to the kick off meeting you can also register online at www.relayforlife.org/rftfranklinsquareny.For more information contact Lisa Schack at (516) 921-6082 est. 3012 or Lisa.schack@cancer.org.
