As the month of October starts, the atmosphere is filled with pink as it is a reminder of those people who have fought or are still struggling with breast cancer. In 2024, over 310,720 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer. Additionally, about 1 in every 8 women in the U.S. get diagnosed with this disease throughout their lifetime. Pines Charter is fortunate to have the club Relay for Life which helps to spread awareness through many of their events and activities.

Relay for Life is a nationwide organization that was founded through the American Cancer Society. This organization “…helps communities not only by addressing the challenges of cancer, but also come together in the shared mission to fight back against it,” says sophomore and Survivor Lead, Christine Mathew. As time has gone on, there have been over 4,800 volunteer-led groups throughout the nation.These groups unite communities to celebrate those who survived cancer, remember those who sadly have been lost to cancer, and also fundraise to help those currently fighting cancer. Relay for Life also assists the families of cancer patients through research, advocacy groups, and patient support. All of this is done to aid in preventing, treating, detecting, and most importantly, surviving cancer.  

The captains for this year’s Relay for Life team at Pines Charter are seniors Mckenna Gregory and Fiona Findley. They had been elected to this role after being the only two juniors on the board the previous year. After receiving such an amazing position, Gregory feels the “..role allows [me] to make a meaningful impact towards fighting against cancer.” Also, since the main event, the Relay for Life celebration, is held on Charter grounds, Gregory feels it will be a great opportunity to “…create new bonds and unite the community.” 

With the club being a complete success last year, Relay for Life hopes to continue that this year. This year will mark the 27th annual Relay for Life event, which will take place during the second half of the school year. This event is open to everyone and will include performances from PPCHS Latin Dance and Dance Team, a variety of booths, games, and so much more. The club also plans to host canned food drives along with participating at the Pink-Out football game.

As the organization continues to gain at least 100 new members each year, what really brings this club to life is the determination that every participant has to make a change within this world. Reflecting on this, Mathew can confirm that; “I feel like participating for this cause gives me such a humane and heartwarming connection with other people who have the same goal and determination as me.”