Relay for a reason

This past Saturday, around 40 book-themed teams along with participants from the Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay areas came together at Evelyn Greer Park to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The event honored survivors of the disease and remembered those who lost their lives in the battle against it.

“The event is like a community carnival,” event chair Isabelle Albelo said. “We were able to spend the day honoring cancer survivors and remembering those that we have lost.”

The event began with a lap for the present survivors, in which participants walked around a circle of luminaries within the park. For 24 hours, people walked the track, bands played and booths sold food and goods, as well as hosted different activities for the community. Many people attended in hopes of getting involved in raising money and awareness for the cause. Unlike typical fundraisers, the walking involved going from one booth to the next, keeping the “walking-for-the-cause” aspect lively and people on the track throughout the day. Many Palmetto students took initiative and started their own teams. By getting friends involved, the event became inviting for the youth in the area.

“I worked at the Winnie the Pooh booth, where we sold honey and kettle corn. The cancer we represented was appendix cancer,” junior Chloe Feinstein said. “Being a rare cancer there were many people that would come up to us asking about it, the most memorable was a woman whose friend had died from appendix cancer. We later found out that she herself was a breast cancer survivor, and felt honored to have met her.”

By the end of the night, all of the booths temporarily shut down as the lights went down when everyone came together to walk around the candle lit park in memory of those who passed from the disease.

“Being apart of that lap made me feel part of the community,” freshman Chad Girnun said. “It made the whole event seem like something that was so much bigger than just a one day event. I felt like I made an impact.”