London school raises thousands for Canadian Cancer Society through Relay for Life

Hundreds of students participated in AB Lucas Secondary School’s Relay for Life Friday.

“I think it’s really something special when you get to see a group of, you know, young, passionate students who are really motivated to, you know, make a difference and do charitable things,” said Kevin Birball of the Canadian Cancer Society (CSS).

The school’s goal is to raise $150,000 to donate to the CCS.

“I think we’re definitely on track to hit our goal if everything goes as planned, which is really exciting. And just thinking about the way that you see the whole school community come together, for one cause, you know, cancer, something that affects all of us. And you never know who’s been affected. You come out to this event, and you hear people share their stories and hear about why they participate. And it’s just really cool to see the way that everyone unites,” said relay organizer and Grade 12 student Carissa Vanoostveen.

“I just want everybody to get involved. I think it’s a really good cause. And I think, like, no matter how much you do or how much like you put into it, it’s worth it in every way,” added co-organizer and Grade 12 student Nathalie Gasparotto.

At the start of the day, online donations had already surpassed $115,000, with plenty of cash donations left to count.

To date, the school has raised over $1.5 million dollars and is the top earning school in Canada.

“All of these hard-earned fundraising dollars will go to our mission at CCS, for cancer research, support programs, and advocacy purposes. These kids are making a huge, huge difference in the mission at CCS and supporting some of people affected by cancer,” said Matt O’Brien, Canadian Cancer Society.