Nation Runnels' Essay

My name is Nation. I am involved in Beaverton’s Relay For Life. Every year since I was born I raised money for cancer research. The people I know who had cancer are my Uncle Dick, Lorraine, my Grandma, my Uncle Mark, My Nana’s friends Mary and Jackie. I sold bears out of Thriftway. I walked laps at the Relay For Life. We made cotton candy to sell at our spot. I want to help cure cancer again so no one else dies. I know the people who died are in heaven.

Nation Runnels – Grade 1

On Friday May 16th, Hopkins Elementary School in Sherwood, Oregon hosted their 1st "Mini" Relay event. With weather in the 90's during the school day, 800 students and faculty walked and jogged during two shifts to celebrate the money they raised for the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life – they raised over $5,000.

Eryn Ross, Sherwood's Relay for Life Activities Co-Chair picked up a Mini Relay kit at the 2007 ACS Convention in Reno. Being a parent to two Hopkins students, she gave the kit to the school to see if they would be interested and they were! Marika Conrad, a 5th grade teacher at Hopkins, organized the Mini Relay for Hopkins and had a committee of 10 teachers helping her make the event a huge success. They had two different shifts: the 1st one from 8:50 to 10:45 am and the 2nd from noon to 2:00 pm. Activities were set up for the students to participate in if they got tired, keeping it fun for them.

Because this was a 1st in Sherwood and a big event for an elementary school to organize a Mini Relay, Todd and Leslie McCabe of Sherwood, John L. Scott Brokers and committee members for Sherwood's Relay for Life event (Leslie is Sherwood's event chair) donated 800 Relay for Life t-shirts for the school and faculty.

The event was a huge success and the students had a blast!