Our Reflections' piece this month is slightly different

It is not about a building or family of St Bede’s but about an event that we have held since 2002 and which brings the whole community together. 

CanTeen is an organization which supports young people who either have cancer, or have a family member with or who has passed due to cancer. They have a peer support network for anyone aged 13 to 24 and understand that everyone has different needs and responds in different ways. Everything that they offer, from talks on the phone, to activities is free of charge and so they need the support of others.

Fr Walls was “the inspiration and architect” behind the venture of St Bede’s raising funds for CanTeen. It took many months of 2002 to get this up and “running” and a huge amount of support from the community, teachers and students of St Bede’s. He knew raising money for CanTeen was the answer to the question he would pose to the students here “how to make Gospel values relevant to college life and beyond in a practical way?”

The CanTeen “Run for a Life” is held if possible, every two years. The boys and support crews drive to different starting points around the South Island, run and finally converge back at the College 5 days later. The run is done in a relay style, with each member of the team running up to 25kms per day.

In 2009, two extra routes were added, so the boys were now running from 8 different locations back to Christchurch and the Nelson journey now also included a run through Molesworth Station, rarely open to the public. In 2009, invites were sent out and taken up from other Marist schools to join in the run. Roncalli College in Timaru and Pompellier in Whangarei took the invitation and sent seven and five pupils respectively, to join the 148 Bedeans that year.

Running, up hills, along gravel roads on the side of highways with trucks tooting, the boys have to remind themselves through the pain and fatigue that this is easier than living with cancer. There is also the reminder that they are doing this for people just like them. They finish the run with a renewed understanding of CanTeen and awareness of just how precious life is.

Throughout the run, the boys typically experience the weather of four different seasons, this can occur all within one day. Sometimes they wake up to sunshine and end in snow, sometimes they wake up to snow and end in sunshine and then there is always the rain to help along the way.

In 2018, the CanTeen Campaign had a three-pronged approach, The Run, The Canteen Concert and the Home Team. While each runner was expected to raise at least $500, everybody in the Home Team was expected to raise $100.

In 2020, due to COVID 19, the run had to be cancelled, however, the College still got behind CanTeen with “Hair for a Life”. This was organized over a zoom call in April and when they could come back to school, ended with a group of over 100 boys signing up. They shaved their hair in solidarity with teenagers living with cancer and managed to raise $75 000.

Special mention must be made of Ben Lewis. Ben has no affiliation to the College, but is a Lions Foundation member and in 2002 organized Lions Clubs throughout the South Island to help with accommodation. He also had a tractor which had a sign on the back saying “St Bede’s you are the greatest”, which he drove from Geraldine up the main road to Christchurch, helping to raise hundreds of dollars along the way. He spoke to the boys, impressing on them just how important what they are doing is for people. 

This year, boys will head off again to complete a Run for a Life”. The routes will differ slightly from past years and there will be 9 different starting points, however, the aim is the same, to raise as much as we can for CanTeen, so that they can continue to help young people who are on a journey, a journey that has a start point, but no fixed end, a journey that will be physically and mentally exhausting, a journey that they will need support with.

The boys, supporters and Bedean community have a sense of pride that CanTeen has involved us in their life. Justin Boyle has said “CanTeen allows us to aim for the holistic St Bede’s educational philosophy, not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.”

Please see the CanTeen article in this newsletter if you would like to help support our boys in their run this year with either accommodation, food or sponsorship.