Plenty Valley Christian College, PVCC, last week hosted its Relay for Life event, helping to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Council Victoria.
As one of the school’s most significant events, PVCC involves all students in the fundraising efforts as each year level prepares a banner that is held up as they complete laps of the school’s oval.
The event then shifts into a festival-like evening, with a wide range of attractions and activities on offer for families to enjoy ahead of the commemorative hour from 8pm to 9pm, headlined by a candlelit ceremony to show support for everyone affected by cancer.
School captain Nina Theron said it was exciting to see the amount of people that attended the event.
“To see so many people come and support cancer research by donating money, it creates hope for everyone and it’s a good vibe,” she said.
“It’s also a celebration of life, so I think it’s a reflective time, but it also celebrates everyone who survived cancer and the fact that we should all appreciate life.”
Last year’s event raised almost $23,000, and with this year’s target set at $20,000 the hope is that even more can be raised.
Captain Kynan Mason said it was encouraging to see the support behind the cause.
“There’s 14 students this year that have put up their hand to shave their heads, and they’ve already raised a lot of money before the event’s even started by doing that,” he said.
“After all the work that’s gone in, it’s exciting to see the scale of the event you can create and all the donations that come in for a really great cause.”
Cancer Council Victoria community giving manager Renee Gani said she was overwhelmed by the size of PVCC’s event and hoped it would increase cancer awareness through the fundraising efforts.
“I don’t think I’ve been to a school that’s done a Relay for Life that has been so well-organised with so many kids involved, … I think the leadership group should be so proud of themselves,” she said.
“At the moment the estimate is that one in two Australians will be diagnosed with cancer before they’re 85, which is a really scary stat. The funds raised through Relay for Life go towards trying to prevent cancer, support the people that are going through cancer and boost research.”
“Relay for Life also honours people that have been lost to cancer or are going through cancer, so to see the community come together for one big event is really special.”
