Relay For Life 1

5 June 2013Maria F, Allard ’15 & Vanessa S, Alex’15

On Saturday June 1st, sixteen brave Brentonians conquered the track for Relay for Life in Duncan and remained there until late into the night for a great cause. Relay for Life is an annual, inspirational, non-competitive event organized by the Canadian Cancer Society to bring people together to celebrate life and fight cancer. “It is a celebration and a commemoration at the same time,” said Babette D. Since Mrs. Felix, a courageous cancer survivor, has been at the school she has devoted her time and organized a way for us to participate. This year, Brentwood raised a total of $6986. Brentwood has been participating in Relay for Life in some way or another for more than 12 years and will for many more to come. Brentwood students rallied, and managed to raise money in a variety of ways. This included individual and group efforts such as car washes, a Mother’s Day Brunch for the community, selling Blizzards and hotdogs, and a silent auction and bake sale at the school’s Evening of Dance. The effort, support, and teamwork did not stop with the fundraising though – with each small light that was lit in a luminary around the track, another was lit in our hearts. As Mrs. Widenmaier said “Each little light around this track is a soul”. Mrs. Felix explained this passionately: “We have always had people come out to the event who have had close, loved family members affected by cancer or even people like Brynn who have experienced it themselves. This makes it a relatable event of love and compassion. Even if you have come just to support and have not had this sort of personal experience, you are with people who have and every year I have seen Brentwood students really come together as a community.” This is no hyperbole. Although Brentwood and Shawnigan have been rivals for as long as we can remember, when Shawnigan called on everyone to make a circle and do a warm-up, not one person hesitated. This was a time for everyone to embrace, not compete, but to come together as one for a great and mutual cause. It was a truly magical start to the Relay for Life night. For the rest of the evening, students walked together around the track, holding hands, hugging, or merely chatting and taking in the emotions of the night. Some played volleyball, and some sang karaoke and even jumped on stage. Others ran, and some did everything. A special mention goes out to Jonathan C who ran a whopping 63 laps around the 400 meter track (25km) along with Mrs. Fougner’s 13 year old son, Griffin, who ran 56 laps! Another big “thank you” goes to Mrs. Jackson who comes to support every single year. And last, but definitely not least, thank you to all the students who participated in the event and to Mrs. Felix for making this all possible. We may have only been at the event for several hours, but those luminaries are forever lit up in our hearts. Maria F, Allard ’15 & Vanessa S, Alex’15

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