The annual Relay for Life fundraiser is this weekend, inviting members of the community to participate in a relay and raise money for the American Cancer Society. Staffer Mia McKell interviewed Kristina Chowning, student success coach and Robinson’s Relay organizer, to learn more about the event.

Q: What is the purpose of Relay for Life?

A: Relay for life is the premiere fundraising event for the American Cancer Society; we raise millions and millions of dollars towards research for finding a cure for cancer and developing medicines to help patients who have cancer. It supports the Hope Lodge which is a facility that actually houses patients who are more than 40 miles away from their home and getting treatment, they can stay at the Hope Lodge for free while they are receiving treatment. So relay for life is a way for us to come together to make the community aware of all the things that are going on with ACS and to raise money towards finding a cure for cancer.

Q: Why and how should students participate in Relay for Life?

A: Teams register through the ACS Relay for Life website; they can be student lead teams, they can be community teams, and you can have anywhere from 3 to 30 teammates if you like. As far as students are concerned, we need to have 1 adult chaperone for every 10 participants. In order for the students to be allowed to spend the night they have to raise a minimum of $100, and that just really shows their commitment to the cause, and limits the chances of there being behavior issues. If they have committed to raising the $100 they should be pretty well behaved, and that’s the goal of that.

The 12 hour event will be hosted at the Robinson High School track from April 1 to April 2 and is open to all students looking to participate in raising money for the American Cancer Society.