Tres Pinos School students will raise money for the annual Relay For Life with a Relay Recess on May 1. The same day, the Relay For Life committee members are encouraging local businesses, schools and individuals to “Paint the Town Purple” with an event to honor cancer survivors.
Tasia Belton, student council president and an eighth-grader at Tres Pinos School, learned about the Relay Recess program from her mother. Tracey Belton is the chair for Hollister’s Relay For Life this year and she heard about the new youth-inspired aspect to the fundraiser at a state meeting for chairs.
“I told her it would be a good challenge for her as student council president,” the mother said. “She decided to take it on.”
The Relay Recess allows students to collect money that will go toward the local Relay For Life fundraising goal. The students will also learn about the behaviors they can engage in to prevent some cancers, such as physical activity, good nutrition, using sunscreen and avoiding tobacco.
“Each class will make their own banner and think of one event to host outside on May 1,” the student said.
She said each class will be a team and they will compete to raise the most money. The American Cancer Society provides materials for the schools that include curriculum about cancer prevention as well as items to help with fundraising. Each classroom will get a flier that shows their goal, with a thermometer they can fill in as they get closer to their goal.
“It’s kind of personal to both of us,” said Logan Randle, vice president of the student council and an eighth-grader. “And a lot of students here. It is something we could make a difference with. It also helps people know what you can do to not get cancer, like be physically active and wear sunscreen.”
The Relay Recess fits in well with the Tres Pinos student council mission.
“One of the goals is to help the community,” Tasia said, adding that she is trying to get the student council members and some students to attend the “Paint Your Town Purple” event in downtown Hollister that afternoon after the Relay Recess.
Tasia and Randle said the Relay Recess is the biggest challenge the student body has taken on. It has forced them to stay organized, but it has been a learning process as it is a program new to the American Cancer Society and to the school.
“Tomorrow we are passing out the kits,” she said last Friday, of the materials teachers will use with students to start fundraising and teach them about cancer prevention.
Those involved are excited to find out how the event will turn out and how much money is earned.
“I’m excited to see everyone come together for a good cause and do something for the community,” Randle said.
Tracey Belton said the students are hoping to honor a cancer survivor at the event and they will also sell luminarias for $10 that will decorate the campus. The luminarias are paper lanterns that are sold at Relay For Life in memory of someone lost to cancer. Tracey said the luminarias will be displayed at the Andy Hardin Track at the Relay For Life event Aug. 4-5, along with the other luminarias sold through August.
The students are hoping their efforts will be carried on by the students next year after they graduate.
“I hope this starts something for our school so it continues,” Randle said.
Paint the town people
Relay For Life committee members have also been working on the “Paint the Town Purple” Day, which will include schools, businesses and homes making use of the color purple. The color represents cancer survivors. At 5:30 p.m., they will host a dove release to celebrate, honor and remember those affected by cancer, outside the Veterans Memorial Building. Residents can donate $10 to have a dove release in honor or memory of a loved one.
Dana Mills, the chair of the Paint the Town Purple, committee said that she has been working with the survivor committee chair on the event.
“We just want to promote survivorship and make more people aware that (Relay For Life) is coming,” she said. “It’s been real successful.”
Mills said she has a commitment from many downtown businesses to decorate their store windows with purple items.
“Some dress shops are going to do their store windows in purple,” she said, adding that others were going to decorate with purple tissue paper.
The committee will be decorating downtown balconies and trees.
She said they are hoping the dove release will help bring out more members of the community.
Mills herself has been part of a Relay For Life team for the last 13 years.
“It’s just a group of friends that had a team,” she said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s a fun event to help out with the cause.”
Last year’s Relay For Life efforts in San Benito County raised $140,000.
Those interested in getting involved can form a team or donate to an existing team. Team leaders meet the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Methodist Church. More teams are welcome to join the efforts and the group is especially looking at getting cancer survivors involved. Those interested in getting involved with Relay For Life, Paint Your Town Purple or the dove release, can email [email protected] or visit relayforlife.org.
