Because this year’s Relay
For Life event occurs after Hopkinton High School’s
graduation, chaperone requirements are different
than they have been in past years.
“If you are over the age
of 18 and graduated high school, you do not need a
chaperone. If you are 18 and still attending high
school then you do need a chaperone,” stated Nybo.
All participants under the
age of 18, regardless of whether or not they are
attending high school at the time of the event, are
still required to have chaperones.
Because most of the
event’s participants are typically teenagers, the
event leaders this year are looking to greatly
increase adult involvement.
“I would encourage the
adults of this town to not simply see the event as a
kids’ affair. The entertainment and greater meaning
of the event apply to adults as much as teens,”
added Graubart.
The committee chairs are
also emphasizing midnight teams for this year’s
event. Midnight teams are an option for participants
who want to raise money for the American Cancer
Society, but who may not want to spend the entire
night at the event.
“[Midnight teams] are good
for teams with younger kids that want to be a part
of the event, but their parents don’t want them
staying up all night. [They] are also for adult
teams that wish to sleep in the comfort of their own
beds,” continued Boyce.
The American Cancer
Society has recently removed a long-standing
restriction on the number of participants allowed
per team at the Relay For Life event. In past years,
there has been a limit of 15 participants allowed
per team, but this year there is no cap on the
number of members permitted.
To emphasize this new
policy, the team with the most participants
registered online on March 10th will
receive a complementary pizza party during the night
on June 13th.
The committee is offering
several other incentives to maximize early
registration and early fundraising for the event.
Every participant who
registers for the event online before March 10th
will receive a $5 decrease in the cost of
registration, dropping the price from $15 to $10.
Additionally, the team
with the most money raised and inputted online by
March 10th will also receive a pizza party during
the night of the June Relay For Life event.
All registration for the
event occurs online.
“Go to the Relay
For Life of Hopkinton’s Website, and click on
“Sign Up”. More information will be provided at our
Kick Off Meeting on February 10th at
Hopkinton High School,” explained Graubart.
Kick-Off is the first
meeting that includes the entire Relay For Life
community (i.e. participants, team captains, etc.).
With a different theme each year, all of he 2014
kickoff stations and activities are related to the
upcoming Winter Olympics.
“[Kick off] is a meeting
that we have to publicize the event. We invite
everyone to come that wishes to participate in or
learn more about Relay For Life. We give out event
information, ideas for fundraising, and play games
to learn more about what people can do to raise
awareness,” said Boyce.
Aside from participating
in the event, members of the community can donate to
an entire team or a specific member of a team that
is participating in the event.
“[Donors] can either send
cash or a check to the individual on the team that
they would like to donate for, or they can go on to
the relayforlife.org website
and follow the steps to donating to a team,” stated
Marquedant.
Hopkinton’s Relay For Life
committee meets once a month in the Hopkinton High
School library.
“Each person on the
committee has such a great passion for the cause and
it is great to see them all pushing to think outside
the box to make this year’s relay bigger and better
than ever,” continued Nybo.
The committee is primarily
composed of Hopkinton High School students, ranging
from ninth graders to twelfth graders. Adult
committee participation has decreased since the
town’s first relay event in 2007, and now only two
adult members consistently attend meetings. The
committee is looking to increase adult involvement
this year and in upcoming years.
“I enjoy being an adult
committee member because I like to work with the
students and help them brainstorm and to help their
ideas come to life. We need more adults though,”
said HHS math teacher Jennifer Fairbanks, who has
been involved in Hopkinton’s Relay For Life since it
began seven years ago.