Dover Bay secondary students exceeded a $10,000 fundraising goal for the Canadian Cancer Society, while holding a Relay for Life event on Friday, June 11. (submitted photo/SD68)

By Alex Rawnsley

RELAY FOR LIFE

Dover Bay Secondary students raise $13k for cancer research

Jun 15, 2021 | 11:39 AM

NANAIMO — Students at one of the region’s biggest schools have smashed their own expectations to support cancer research.

Led by the school’s 15 member student council, students at Dover Bay Secondary held a mini-Relay for Life on Friday, June 11 and raised $13,649.87

Ishita Sharma, a grade 12 student and member of student council, told NanaimoNewsNOW they’d initially aimed to hold a relay in 2020, but plans were dashed.

“We went to Vancouver to do a (Relay for Life) conference and we were in full force to do it last year, excited and pumped up then the pandemic hit so we weren’t able to go through it. I think that fueled us for this year to run it and make it a success for this year.”

The total blew a goal of $10,000 out of the water.

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Students fundraised through their own network of friends and family in the two weeks leading up to the relay on Friday at the school.

Classes came outside, staggered every five minutes and completed laps around the school in a symbolic version of a larger scale event.

The perseverance from organizers to complete a pandemic-era relay will set up future groups to take the baton and run with the idea in years to come.

“They have a lot of options and ideas that can be used for next year, they can do bigger events to run the fundraiser and collect even more money,” Sharma said.

Caitlin Ryan, teacher-sponsor for Dover Bay’s student council, said to not only hold a successful event but also exceed an ambitious goal was just reward for a graduating class at the end of a difficult year.

“There was that feeling of joy, looking forward to something and supporting a really amazing and important cause. To me, of all the events I’ve been able to support and help students with, this was extra special.”

In a bid to get students across the finish line, Ryan organized one of the school’s vice principals to endure a bowl of hot wings as reward for students raising over $10,000.

Ryan added the fundraiser hit home for many students and staff.

“We have a lot of students who are personally impacted, whether they have had cancer or someone close to them. We had a few survivors actually do the walk, so that was impactful as well.”

The money will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society as part of the 2021 Relay for Life campaign, which raised over $3.5 million across Canada this year towards cancer research.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley