After a five-year hiatus, Sacred Heart Catholic High School in Newmarket is getting involved with Relay for Life once again with a big goal.
Schools and organizations across the country participate in the fundraiser by running, walking, and fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society while honouring those who have been lost to cancer.
Jonah James, student and co-lead of the fundraiser at the high school, said Sacred Heart has historically been one of the best-performing high schools in the country with Relay for Life.
Over the past decade, the school has raised more than $800,000 through initiatives for Relay for Life and has set this year’s goal at $100,000. But the students have even larger aspirations.
“We hope to cross the $1 million mark (historically fundraised) this year,” said James. “It’s going to be a grand celebration. We call it a party with a purpose."
Having not run the event in five years, students such as James are excited to get the chance to be involved and bring back the energy of the event to the school. He said when he first began attending Sacred Heart, he learned about how involved the school had been in Relay for Life.
“It was one of the first things I was told about,” he said. “I was told the last time we ran it, we raised more than $200,000 and that shocked me. But I think it shows how big the Newmarket community is because this fundraiser isn’t just about Sacred Heart, it’s about all of Newmarket.”
The school began its involvement in Relay for Life over a decade ago and had run it every year up until 2019, and then a pandemic gap, with it always being something the school community prided itself on, said James.
With cancer affecting everyone, the Sacred Heart students and staff wanted to bring back the fundraiser this year.
“Fundraisers bring us all together,” said James. “Relay had built a great community at Sacred and it’s helped to shape and form the school community, and we want to reform that community we used to have around the event.”
The school is launching its Relay for Life fundraiser on Feb. 22 and students will be out in the community fundraising up until the actual event on May 31.
"We'll be celebrating our community while fighting for a good cause," said James.
Donate to Sacred Heart's Relay for Life campaign here.
