Community Corner

Teens, Teams Rally for Relay

The American Cancer Society's 2013 Relay For Life season is under way as local participants prepare for next weekend's overnight fundraiser at Bloomingdale High.

 

Local teens have been busy in Bloomingdale this week gearing up for the 2013 Relay For Life overnight fundraiser set to begin April 5 at 6 p.m. at Bloomingdale High School.

A case in point is "Bloomingdale Fighting Cancer," whose team members were spotted recently in Riverivew, at Moe's Southwest Grill in Winthrop, where they were handing out fundraising sheets to diners, signifying that a portion of their bill would be donated to the cause.

Find out what's happening in Bloomingdale-Riverviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"It's fun hanging out with all my members on the team," said Olivia Kelly, a sophomore at Bloomingdale High. "There's always a bunch of activities that go on that make it a lot of fun."

With her was classmate Karina Siegel, also a sophomore, who noted that her mother "is in the cancer business."

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"She works at Moffitt and I'd like to follow in her footsteps, helping with cancer," Siegel said.

For sophomore Heather Griffith, the fight to find a cure for cancer is personal.

"My mom's dad passed away from melanoma," she said. "He passed away when I was 2 and I just know that he impacted my mother's life."

Blake Kelley is a junior at Bloomingdale High.

"It's my third year doing the Relay and it's a really good social event," he said, adding that fighting for a cure has taken on a deeper meaning in his family.

"I found out over the summer my grandfather has cancer," he said. "He's a real outgoing guy. It's hard to see him not being himself."

Lea Faria, a sophomore, noted that her uncle, Jim Parente, died from cancer in 2008.

"It was hard to watch my cousins see that, to live through that, he was their dad," she said. "My family's going to go out [to the Bloomingdale Relay For Life] to support him."

The American Cancer Society's 2013 Relay For Life season in Eastern Hillsborough County kicked off March 23 with events at Riverview and Newsome high schools. Next up is the April 5-6 overnight fundraiser at Bloomingdale.

Additional Relays for Eastern Hillsborough County are scheduled for Armwood, Brandon and Plant City high schools.

Collectively, as of 6 a.m. March 23, the six sites in Eastern Hillsborough County had reported 249 teams, 3,595 participants and $256,645.14 raised. (See chart below.)

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2013 RELAY FOR LIFE UPDATE — Compiled March 23 (6 a.m.)

Location Participants Teams Donations
Location Date Bloomingdale 599 51 $16,768.80 Bloomingdale High School, 1700 Bloomingdale Ave. April 5, 6 p.m. Brandon  195 23 $10,228.11 Brandon High School, 1101 Victoria St. April 12, 6 p.m. FishHawk 904 39 $82,802.09 Newsome High School, 16550 FishHawk Blvd. March 23, noon Plant City 857 63 $38,306.66 Plant City High School, One Raider Place April 19, 6 p.m. Riverview 796 53 $90,928.15 Riverview High School, 11311 Boyette Road March 23, noon Seffner/Dover 244 20 $17,611.33 Armwood High School, 12000 East U.S. Highway 92, Seffner April 19, 6 p.m. TOTALS 3,595 249 $256,645.14


Source: American Cancer Society Relay For Life

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2013 Relay For Life Coverage

  • 'Team Heather' Stays Strong at Riverview Relay For Life
  • FishHawk Creek MOMS Club Relays For Life at Newsome High

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