By Sarah Kuper
Ann Chandler Hassett began her involvement with Relay for Life as a freshman at Homewood High School.
Since then she has worked to secure sponsorships, line up entertainment and manage the logistics of three relays.
Now in her senior year, Hassett is spending the last weeks before the April 22 event confirming details and organizing volunteers.
She and her fellow student leaders are involving the whole school in the Homewood Relay for Life at Homewood Central Park.
Every school club has done some sort of fundraiser in preparation for the relay and many will have representatives at the event.
Hassett said it is important to find ways to support those dealing with cancer even if it is in a small way.
“Relay is great because it is something anyone can do,” she said. “Unless you are a doctor or a nurse, it is hard to know how to care for someone who has cancer. You can buy a card but that doesn’t really help. This does.”
Though she believes participating in Relay for Life is something anyone can do, Hassett doesn’t claim it is easy to organize.
“I’ve learned a lot over the years about time management. You can’t wait until the last minute and you always have to have a plan B,” she said.
Though she is involved in Key Club and Beta Club and she used to cheer, Hassett said she has learned the most about herself and about those battling cancer through Relay for Life.
“My grandparents have had cancer but it was when I was little so I didn’t really know what was going on,” she said. “But through relay I’ve gotten to meet survivors and their families and caretakers who deal with it everyday. It’s really eye-opening.”
For the first time this year, Hassett held her own Relay for Life solo fundraiser in January.
To highlight the global nature of cancer, Hassett organized Fiesta Homewood. She worked with the Spanish club to set up booths at the Exceptional Foundation reflecting cultures around the world. Attendees sampled traditional ethnic foods and participated in crafts and salsa dance lessons.
Her event raised $470.
In years past, the Homewood Relay for Life has had a theme. Last year’s theme was “movies,” so different teams came in costumes and decorated tents accordingly.
Hassett said that there is not one overarching theme this year, but rather teams can do whatever they want.
One thing that won’t be different this year is the signature treat of the Homewood Relay for Life.
“We always have maple bacon doughnuts. The gold team always cooks them and they always blow the fuse and the power goes out, but it is just something you know is one of the reasons you go to relay – the maple bacon doughnuts,” Hassett said.
Besides the sugary treats, one of Hassett’s favorite parts of Relay for Life is seeing people from all over Homewood come to support cancer survivors and caretakers.
“People who don’t normally do the ‘Homewood’ things like the nights out or organized events, those people will come to relay. That’s what I really like, everyone at this point has been affected by cancer in some way,” she said.
Hassett said she knows there are limits on what a teenager can do to fund research or take care of a cancer patient, but she said being a young person has advantages when it comes to finding a cure.
“Adults have their business that they can’t overlap with fundraising. It’s hard to have a client and then ask them to donate money,” she said. “But youth are important because we can ask anybody! We don’t work for people and we are open to approaching anyone – it isn’t awkward for a teen.”
The Homewood Relay for Life begins at 4 p.m. on April 22 at Homewood Central Park.
To register or make a donation, visit relayforlife.org/birmingham.
