National Volunteer week is right around the corner! But why limit yourself to JUST a week? There are so many great causes that are open to year round participation and they need you! One week simply isn’t enough. Although it is great for awareness and promotion of the causes. One of my personal favorites is the American Cancer Society. Since I lost both of my grandfathers at an early age, I picked that organization at age 10 to hopefully raise money for a potential cure. I did this by forming a Relay for Life team.
What is Relay for Life? To me, it represents the hope for a cure. Team leaders form teams with catchy names (“Scaring Away Cancer”) and organize various fundraisers for the months prior to the actual Relay, which lasts for a full 24 hours! The goal is to have one member walking around a track, usually at a local college campus or high school for an entire 24 hours. You do that by switching off. There are also games, dances, contests, and concessions to keep everyone occupied and entertained. The fact that it is an all night event symbolizes the suffering the cancer patients endure on a 24 hour a day basis. Cancer does not sleep!
I formed my first Relay team at the age of 10. It was composed of friends and family affected in some way by cancer. I believe we were “Clowning Around for a Cure” and we walked the track in clown attire. We did fundraisers like car washes, bake sales, yard sales, you name it! We sold anything and everything from feather boas to light up glow sticks. I had the time of my life- and I was the youngest team captain in my county! I continued having teams all the way until graduation. From 2000 to 2007, I raid around $88,000 for cancer research with my team. I also mentored others to form their own teams! The discipline it took for me to hold others accountable, organize events, fundraisers, and market our team prepared me for the real world as well as motivated me to continue volunteering and never stop until a cure is found.
So, if you are looking for a more long term volunteer opportunity, might i suggest starting a team? For more information visit: http://www.relayforlife.org/
Here are some photos from 2006 and 2007, my last two years as captain!
