COLLEGE RELAY FOR LIFE TEAMS RAISE OVER $2,000 THIS YEAR.

Manawatu College students have many opportunities to give to the wider community and, recently, 17 of them joined the annual Relay for Life to raise money for the Cancer Society. 

Two of them, Emma Green and Kate Thorby, wrote of their experience below:

Why do we give up our time to participate in the Relay for Life? Why do we give up 24 hours sleep and other commitments we may have? 

 We do it to remember those who lost their lives to cancer and to support those who have won the battle and those who are still fighting. This weekend just gone was the annual Manawatu-Horowhenua Relay for Life being the 16th year it has been held. This year Manawatu College had a team of 18 students and 7 teachers who participated in the event with someone on the track at all times throughout the 24 hours.

The Relay for Life is one of those events where you have the opportunity to hear what people say about their time at the event but you only fully understand and comprehend how powerful it is once you experience it for yourself.

The Manawatu-Horowhenua Relay for Life is the biggest relay in New Zealand and is also the biggest fundraiser for the cancer society. At the end of the event on Sunday the total amount of money that had been raised was over $300,000. This total will continue to grow as teams get the donations in.

In the 16 years our wider community of the Manawatu and Horowhenua region has raised over $5 million. In the 7 years our school has been involved we have raised over $15,000.

At about 8.15 on Saturday night, one person from each team was present on the track with the baton. This was the start of the candle lit walk. The 400m track is lined with candle bags that people from different teams had made to remember their loved ones lost to cancer or for those who are fighting cancer. During the walk, every person lined the outside of the track to watch each team representative walk the track to remember their loved ones.

I (Kate) was the person to walk the candle-lit ceremony for our team. I lost my nana to cervical cancer 17 years ago so I wanted to walk the ceremony in memory of her. A waiata was sung, then a choir, then bagpipes were played. This is a very emotional time for many people as it is a silent time to reflect on those who had been lost to cancer.

If you are ever given the opportunity to be involved in a team for Relay for Life then we would recommend that you take it as it’s an amazing experience to be a part of.