UCP lacing up shoes for first Relay for Life

UCP West Orange Charter School is raising funds for the American Cancer Society in a fun way by hosting its first Relay for Life event Friday, Dec. 6, at the school that serves students in pre-kindergarten through elementary school.

Classrooms have been competing to bring in the most money in recent weeks through a variety of fundraisers. In one challenge, students took home large paper ribbons to decorate and bring back to the school, accompanied by a donation of at least $1. The ribbons are being hung up in a big glass window so students can see their artwork during drop-off and pick-up times.

To get the students excited about the relay, Malik Taylor, the school’s behavior interventionist and relay coordinator, has allowed them to throw a pie at his face and duct tape him to a wall to see if he would stick. These fundraisers brought in $100 and $125, respectively.

“Malik is the event lead and has done so much of this on his own,” said Julie Harris, senior development manager of ACS. “He’s a great educator and has a great heart for these kids.”

INAUGURAL WALK

This is UCP West Orange’s first time hosting a Relay for Life event.

“I would love to see it grow to the rest of the UCP sites,” Harris said. “I think that’s our big game plan for the future.”

The event is open the community, and folks are being encouraged to attend for a fun evening with friends and, at the same time, to raise money for ACS. The event will include contests and challenges, raffles, face painting, arts-and-crafts centers, inflatable entertainment, music and more. Local businesses and food trucks will be set up and have pledged a portion of their sales to the relay. Relay T-shirts will be sold, too.

“It’s going to be a great family event,” Harris said.

There is an opportunity for people to form a team or join one already established, or they can attend as individuals. Those who don’t register in advance can do so at the relay.

A track is being created in the parking lot where participants will walk laps throughout the event.

They are free to come and go and do not have to stay the entire five hours, although “the diehards will be there all day,” she said.

Attendees may take camping chairs for comfort and can add a table if they are planning a trackside fundraiser. Those wanting to sell chotchkes to raise additional money should contact Malik Taylor at [email protected].

Another chance to donate is through the luminaria program. Guests can purchase a paper bag in memory of or in honor of someone, and they are filled with tea lights and lined around the track. Several special signature elements to recognize loved ones include the luminaria ceremony and the survivor and caregiver walk.

Sashes and pins will be given to survivors in attendance, including Colleta Ballash, the school’s pre-K lead teacher, and she will lead the survivor walk with the UCP students.

Taylor and Harris both got their first taste of the ACS Relay for Life during school — Taylor in high school and Harris in college.

“With UCP being an inclusive and progressive school model, we felt that the platform the school has would help with advocating and bringing awareness to breast cancer and the research being done,” Taylor said.

“I got addicted,” Harris said. “It’s pretty phenomenal.”

Relay for Life is one of the largest and most impactful events for the American Cancer Society. It unites students, volunteers, advocates, survivors and caregivers, and it provides all in the name of supporting those impacted by the disease. Its mission is to raise funds to improve cancer survival, decrease the incidence of cancer, and improve the quality of life for cancer patients and their caretakers.

It is a community-based walkathon fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. Each year, more than 5,000 Relay for Life events take place around the world in local communities, on university campuses and as virtual campaigns.

Currently, almost 4 million people take part in relay events in more than 5,000 communities in the United States. Relay for Life events have raised an estimated $5 billion to date.