Volunteering for Relay For Life

Community service can build character, improve the lives of surrounding people, and add extracurricular activities to a college application. There are plenty of ways a high school student can get involved with a project, such as joining a community service-oriented club on campus, asking teachers or administrators, looking online for local volunteer positions, or even starting up a new project!One project I enjoy working on each year is the Relay for Life team I created with some friends. Relay for Life is an organization that raises money and awareness for cancer research. They host an annual twenty-four hour relay event in various locations. We discovered that there would be an event at a local park, so we went online and started up a team. My friends and I had some nice inspirational posters made and framed, which we raffled off on the day of the relay. The money made from the raffle tickets all went towards cancer research. The event was a lot of fun, as I got to stay up for a full day (a little longer including set-up and take-down!) with my best friends, raised money for a good cause, and had the opportunity to speak with many cancer survivors, and those who were still in the fight. I cannot imagine a better way to spend twenty-four hours, and am so glad I decided to start up a team freshmen year. The event was such an amazing experience that my team and I came back the following year, and are already preparing for this year’s relay! Considering using your volunteer experience as your essay topic? Get inspired by others who have done it before you! This community service event hit particularly close to home because several people very close to me have had, or are currently battling cancer, which fueled my fervor to take part in funding the research that will hopefully develop a cure for other patients all around the world. Starting up this project took some meticulous planning, a good group of friends and family, and a bit of sugar to stay up for more than twenty-four hours to sell raffle tickets, but the experience ended up being worth every second put into it, as the Relay events are definite highlights of my high school career. Creating a team was an invaluable experience for me. I would strongly recommend searching for Relay for Life – or similar – events near you, as the memories and community service hours will stack up. I am eagerly anticipating the next relay, and think other high school students could really benefit from this experience just as much as I did. What community service opportunities do you recommend? Let us know! Written by Intern - Megan Hilton.