A committee of students and recent grads from École St. Patrick are holding a Relay For Life, taking place Friday in the city of Yellowknife.
So far, the group has already raised over $10,000 towards funding cancer research, providing support and resources to those affected by cancer, and calling for public policies that advance prevention and health.
St. Pat’s new grads Stella Fairman and Audrey Debogorski make it clear that it’s about much more than raising funds.
Stella Fairman, who is the Relay For Life Participant Engagement Chair, told True North FM that it’s collective action like this that makes St. Pat’s such a “special place and a special school, is our community and our ability to interconnect with everybody.”
Students are working individually and in dedicated teams, finding ways to build and synergize activities and ideas.
“As a relay, each participant is put in a group and we’ve seen some of our top fundraising groups, they get together on a certain day of the week and they come up with fundraising activities, they collaborate with other teams and they have really large discussions, which has really emphasised our school community,” explained Fairman.
Audrey Debogorski, who is a co-chair of Relay for Life, explained that the event brings “vibrance” to the school and school community.
Fairman and Debogorski have been organizing the event for over two years.
“For the past two years, everyone who’s attended has had so much fun,” said Debogorski. “Students really love the event and they really love being able to come together to contribute to a good cause and to just have that kind of bonding within a school, just knowing that we’re doing something that’s really going to help people down the line.”
The Relay for Life will include survivor speakers, relays and activities, and will conclude with a luminary ceremony.
Debogorski said the event first began about three years ago when another student initiated the Relay for Life at St. Pat’s
“She’s such an inspiration for both me and Stella going into it,” explained Debogorski, who said the first event was such a great success. The committee and students surpassed their $10,000 goal that year.
“We both have been personally touched by the initiative, and I know cancer has affected my family personally and Stella’s as well. So I just feel that drive and just knowing that we’re able to bring a community of people together to help people, no matter how much money we actually raise, is such a beautiful thing,” said Debogorski.
To raise funds for the cause, students will make their way around the track as a relay team, along with a variety of activities like basketball, soccer, and tug of war.
“The relay part of Relay for Life is that one participant from each team that signed up will be walking around the track for the entire night, so our event goes from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. So, there’s only that one person from each team walking around the track, and we will have themed laps. So we keep it a little bit fun,” explained Fairman. “It’s a celebration for reaching the fundraising goal,” said Fairman.
The organizers planned both indoor and outdoor activities.
“So we have a pie in the face for teachers, we’re going to be taping some teachers onto the wall with duct tape,” exclaimed Fairman.
“Our top fundraising team at the moment is a group of eighth and ninth graders who’ve fundraised over two thousand dollars. And so that just adds to their group that they have. I think they have about 10 people in that group, but I feel like that speaks volumes as to what the students are willing to do and how much they’re willing to contribute because those students, to put into perspective are 13 and 14 years olds and they’re all banding together for a cause that they all really want to contribute to,” explained Debogorski.
École St. Patrick’s efforts are unique as they stand alone in N.W.T. and in the North in participating in the Relay for Life.
Anyone who is interested in donating to the initiative can go to the Relay for Life website and click the link for school events then select École St. Patrick’s from the schools list
