Last Saturday at 12:30 a.m., a team of 27 dedicated Andover students returned to their dorms after participating in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life overnight event at the Brooks School. Andover’s team raised just over $2,000 for the American Cancer Society, bringing them to the Rising Star Team Fundraising Club Level, which is awarded to every team that raises over $1,000. Relay for Life is an overnight community fundraising walk that raises awareness and funds for cancer research and support. The event has three main components: the Survivors Lap, a lap around the track to acknowledge all cancer survivors and caregivers, the Luminaria Ceremony, where participants light candles inside of personalized paper bags to honor those who have lost the battle with cancer, and the Fight Back Ceremony, where participants express their emotional commitment to fighting cancer. The entire Pine Knoll (PKN) cluster council participated in the event. “PKN cluster council decided to partake in this event because we were not only looking for ways to build a sense of community in our cluster, but also to inform the students about the significance of the cause,” said Aya Murata, faculty advisor of Andover’s Relay for Life team. This year’s event at Brooks raised a total of $24,000 for the American Cancer Society. Andover will host Relay for Life next year and the event will switch locations each year between the two schools.
