Every year, around 2 million people are diagnosed with cancer and that’s just in the United States alone. That means around 40% of the world’s population gets diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. Many people know someone whose life has been affected by cancer. This is why, on February 4th, the world unites for World Cancer Day. With raising awareness of the community in regard to cancer recognition.
There are many ways that you can take action to help this ongoing issue. One easy way to start happens right here on Seminole High School’s (SHS) campus. It’s a club called “The American Cancer Society.”
The founder of this club is Senior Zoey Walker in the Health Academy. When asked why she wanted to start this club, she explained: “I wanted to bring ACS to Seminole because I noticed that ACS strives to support cancer patients and hospitals through various fundraising initiatives. Our mission is also to spread cancer awareness on campus.”
This club is significant as it helps the world around us in many ways. “As a club, our main purpose is to spread cancer awareness and help our community. We also strive to create opportunities for SHS students to create meaningful connections with our community. For instance, on March 29th we will be hosting Seminole’s first Relay For Life event that is 100% student-led, planned, and organized!” Be sure to find out more about this event on ACS’s Instagram “_shs.acsoc.”
The Vice President, Sharon Kim, a health academy senior, wanted to be a part of the club since, “when ACS first formed I felt a strong urge to join because of my strong family history of cancer. I’ve seen and experienced the consequences of cancer, on the patients and their family, so it influenced my passion to be involved in cancer research and fundraising organizations. I am planning to be a pre-med student, so I thought joining ACS would be a great experience, working with other students with similar interests and helping cancer research.”
Additionally, there are many exciting events to look forward to.“We plan and participate in events such as Relay for Life, Melissa’s Race to Battle Brain Cancer, etc. and even make holiday cards as a club to donate to hospitals. We also hold informative meetings where we share information on cancers. The officers are always planning to continue expanding ACS and provide more for the community. SHS didn’t really have a club dedicated to spreading cancer awareness. I also have a lot of family members who have battled cancer, so I wanted to do my part and give back alongside my school community!”
Besides the exciting events, there are also many amazing opportunities offered at the American Cancer Society, whether that be volunteer hours or events. “For the community, we volunteer with local organizations offering our assistance in their cancer related events, for example, Melissa’s Race to Battle Brain Cancer. We also donated holiday cards to the Orlando Ronald McDonald house to spread some positivity to those going through hard times during the holiday season.” encouraged Kim.
ACS is welcome to anyone who is interested. Walker’s message to all of those who are interested in joining, “I say do it!! It’s an amazing opportunity to get out into our community, raise awareness for cancer, and collaborate with fellow students on a topic that is so important. We meet every other Monday in HA-021!”
Kim believes that, “The AC’S community is one of the best student communities on campus. Everyone is passionate, caring, open-hearted, and the medium size of the club really helps bring everyone together as one team. I really encourage all to consider joining ACS since it is super fulfilling.”