Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. These are the three main goals of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. On May 19 and 20, 2012, Nazareth Academy will host its third bi-annual Relay for Life event, remembering those who have lost the battle with cancer and raising money to help find a cure.
Relay for Life is a fundraiser to help the American Cancer Society and other medical research institutions test new ways to discover a cure for cancer. At every Relay for Life, usually held on a football field or track field, participants walk around the track for 12 hours non-stop. All Relays go overnight, and one participant from each team is asked to remain on the track at all times. The event is always started off with a Survivor’s Lap, where any surviving cancer victim takes the first lap around the field. Throughout the night, there are many additional activities and forms of entertainment, such as theme hours and live musical performances. Relay also hosts several somber ceremonies, such as the Luminaria ceremony; in which bags are purchased and decorated with the names of participants’ loved ones that have lost their battle with cancer.
Even though the actual event is awhile away, Nazareth’s Relay Committee recently hosted a kick-off ceremony to launch this year’s Relay festivities. The kick-off, which was held on Nov. 17, helped to inspire Nazareth students to participate and learn why we Relay. The even featured many entertaining as well as inspiring keynotes. The beloved Jesse White Tumblers paid a visit to Nazareth and were a great force in helping to raise the assembly’s spirit. The assembly also featured Nazareth biology teacher Mrs. Shelia Emmett, who is currently fighting her third bout of cancer. Mrs. Emmett gave a moving speech to the crowd about the importance of how family, friends, and faith helped her to battle through her aggressive cancer treatments and have shaped her to the woman she is today.
Nazareth’s 2012 Relay Committee is headed Mrs. Tracy, and three student co-chairs, seniors Clare Bohne, Morgan Borkovec, and Johnny Gross. These four individuals, along with the help of many committee members, have already put much time and energy into the planning of this year’s relay.
Mrs. Hawkins became the coordinator of Relay for Life after Sister Jackie, the previous Student Activities Director as well as Mrs. Tracy, who brought Relay to Nazareth in 2008. In 2008, Nazareth’s students, faculty, and staff successfully raised around $85,000 for the fight against cancer; in 2010, Nazareth’s students, faculty, and staff helped to raise an amazing $106,000. On that note, this year’s Relay goal is $106,000.
Relay for Life means many different things to many different people. For Mrs. Hawkins, it displays a strong sense of community among Nazareth’s students and is significant because so many people have been touched by cancer.
“I personally remember my good friend Madonna Weldon, who died in January 2008 from ovarian cancer,” said Mrs. Hawkins. “She is always on my mind whenever I am involved with any aspect of Relay, and she is a huge reason why I Relay.”
Clare Bohne shares Mrs. Hawkins’ fervent passion for Relay for Life. “Mrs. Hawkins invited me to be an event chair because I was one of two sophomore committee chairs for the 2010 Relay for Life,” stated Bohne, who has a clear understanding of how Relay works.
Bohne is in charge of the “Remember” portion of Relay, which includes Luminaria, Survivorship, Publicity, and Advocacy committees. These committess all have specific jobs regarding the Relay and the time leading up to the event.
When asked about what Relay means to her, Bohne explained that she sees it as a way to bring the whole school together to fight cancer and that the event has a very personal importance to her.
“My grandma is a three-time cancer survivor, so I have a very personal connection to this disease and a very personal reason to Relay,” Bohne shared.
As an event co-chair, Bohne’s main goals are simple yet ambitious. For 2012, she plans “To better educate the Nazareth community about what causes cancer and how to prevent it,” and “to register more survivors than ever, and make sure we work closely with the survivors to let them know how thankful we are to have them with us!”
Senior Morgan Borkovec is the second of three student committee head co-chairs. Borkovec was selected for this position because she “was one of two sophomores (along with Clare) on the Relay Committee in 2010,” showing her “dedication toward and willingness to lead the school in the fight against cancer!”
Borkovec is in charge of the “Celebrate” portion of Relay, which covers Ceremonies, Logistics, Food and Hospitality, and Entertainment Committees. All of these Relay Committees deal with the actual events of Relay and will undoubtedly be busy in the months leading up to 2012’s Relay.
For Borkovec, Relay is especially meaningful as an opportunity “to fight this terrible disease that touches everyone’s lives in some way or another,” and “for all of us to do our part in kicking cancer’s butt to help saves lives!”
Borkovec’s life, like many others, has been touched by cancer. “My grandpa passed away beack when I was younger after a battle with cancer,” Borkovec shared. “More recently, my friend’s mom fought breast cancer and is now a survivor, who is growing back a beautiful new head of hair!”
For 2012, Borkovec hopes to exceed the success of previous Relays. “We hope to break fundraising records and have EVERYONE participate!” she said, encouraging students to get involved and join a team.
Last but certainly not least is senior Johnny Gross. Gross was chosen via an email he received in the summer from Mrs. Hawkins. Gross was put in charge of “Fundraising, Sponsorship, Team Recruitment, and the online promotion of Relay.” All of these aspects of Relay are very important, as getting the word out about Nazareth’s Relay ensures a successful and fun event.
For Gross, Relay is very important and personal. “Relay is something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. I went to Nazareth’s Relay two years ago, and will also be attending this year’s. But one of the main reasons I really wanted to become active in Relay for Life is the Joey’s Angels Foundation. They used to sponsor a golf outing that my father and I would often attend. Joey, the young child that the foundation is named after, died at a young age due to leukemia, but through the golf outing and other fundraiser, they’ve managed to raise $1,594,000 to help with cancer and leukemia research.”
Gross’ life has also been touched by those suffering from cancer. He shared, “my grandfather suffered from a malignant brain tumor and died in 2009. My grade school friend, Jack Miller, is a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with the disease as an infant. Additionally, my godfather’s sister passed away after being diagnosed with breast cancer.”
Gross is already excited to begin preparations in order to ensure the success of Nazareth’s 2012 Relay. He commented that “I don’t really have a specific fiscal number in mind, but I would like Nazareth to raise even more money than we did in 2010. We definitely have an enthusiastic group this year, not only on Relay committees, but with the student body as a whole. I’m excited to see what we can do!”
Despite the fact that Relay is still five months away, the Relay spirit has already captivated many Nazareth students. Several teams have already been formed and registered online, and their campaigning for donation funds is undoubtedly already under way. If you are interested in participating in Nazareth’s 2012 Relay, you can go to and sign up a team. Online signups can be done at www.relayforlife.org/nazarethil. Starting this year, there is no longer a limit on the number of people on a Relay team. There used to be a maximum of 15 people per team, but now there is no limit, allowing many friends to form larger Relay groups than in the past.
With Relay Fever now just beginning to start and plenty of time before the event in May, now is the perfect time to form a team and start your fundraising! Without a doubt, Nazareth’s strong community will be able to exceed their financial goal for 2012 and in turn, help to find a cure for cancer!
