Schools

Students Raise $9,600 for Cancer Research

Parents, teachers, and students at Pines Lake Elementary School walk in the schools' annual Relay for Life.

Some students held signs. Some wore T-shirts with encouraging messages across the front. Others had their hair dyed pink.

Regardless of what form it took, students at Pines Lake Elementary School got their message across: we’re standing up to cancer.

The school hosted its sixth annual Relay for Life fundraiser last week. Students held signs as they walked around the hallways. Others donated their allowances to play carnival games and get their hair dyed. Inclement weather forced the event to be held inside.

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But the event was not just an opportunity for kids to have fun.

It is an opportunity for cancer survivors to encourage one another and give each other hope.

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“When I first heard I had cancer, I said to myself ‘I’m going to beat this’,” said Nancy Smith, an occupational therapist who works in the school district. “I said ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be there for my kids’.”

The nearly $9,500 that was donated will be given to the American Cancer Society (ACS).  The goal was $6,500.

“These kids, they’ve been saving their allowance money for this. They know what this is and where the money is going,” said Denise Scalzitti, physical education teacher at Pines Lake. “If people asked us six years ago what we wanted this event to be, I don’t think we thought it would ever have amounted to this.”

Hundreds of Wayne high school students plan and run the main Relay for Life in Wayne. That event, which is held overnight, took in more than $102,000 for the ACS.  John F. Kennedy Elementary School also hosted a Relay for Life fundraiser recently.

“Events like this, they let you know that you’re not alone,” said Dana Petrie, a parent and cancer survivor. “It’s so important for people who have been diagnosed to support and be there for each other. That’s what Relay for Life does.”

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.


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