Photograph by George Sakkestad
Stretching before a practice run on the Los Gatos High School field are (left) Phoebe Cymbal and Benét Duncan and Chris Yamauchi (front).
Local high school students join Relay for Life
Coming together for a good cause is motivation
By Shari Kaplan
Joining the ranks of the hundreds of participants in the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life fundraiser June 25 and 26 on and around the Los Gatos High School track are a handful of Saratoga High School students and friends, dedicated to showing their community spirit.
Joanne Sprague, Phoebe Cymbal and Andrew Hollenhorst, all of whom will be seniors at Saratoga High School this fall, are co-captains of a team of eight to 12 teens, most of whom are members of the SHS Marching Band. Sprague was recruited to join the relay during her freshman year; by her sophomore year, she was the one taking charge and recruiting other band members.
"It's kind of a random assortment of people loosely focused around the band. People our age aren't always that involved in the community. We like to do this to get them more involved," says Joanne, who is also a member of the Saratoga-Los Gatos chapter of the National Charity League and will be president of the SHS Interact Club for the coming school year.
"One of the things I really enjoy is seeing people from all age and ethnic groups who would never usually be together in the same group, coming together for a good cause. Sometimes people are reluctant to give to charity, but when it deals with cancer, that touches everybody," adds Joanne, whose grandmother and great uncle both died of cancer.
Soon-to-be SHS juniors Katie Barrett and Michelle Kemp are also in the NCL with Joanne, although they are part of a different team of students. With the assistance of NCL president and Saratogan Kathy Kroll, the co-captains have assembled a group of 10 teenage girls from their school as well as a few others. Katie says her favorite part of the relay is the luminary ceremony, in which participants and spectators can light candles in honor of cancer survivors or in memory of its victims. She too knows people whom cancer has touched.
From June 25-26, communities throughout the country will observe Relay for Life, which consists of a continuous relay of teams walking or running to raise money for ACS programs, including cancer research, health education and community outreach. The closest other relays take place in Santa Cruz, Soquel, Cupertino and Milpitas.
The 16 hours of festivities begin at 6:45 p.m. with an official opening by Los Gatos Mayor Jan Hutchins. At 9:30 p.m., stadium lights dim in deference to the Luminary Ceremony.
The relay involves teams who have gathered pledges from friends, family and local businesses. All team members need not be on the track at the same time--some don pajamas and sleep in tents while others run--but each team must be represented at all times. Through the night and day are many additional activities, including music, cancer prevention games, massages, food, treats and an appearance by S.J. Sharkie of the San Jose Sharks hockey team.
For more information about participating, sponsoring a team, buying a luminary or donating supplies to the event, call 879-1032 ext. 170.
Saratoga, California Since 1975
