BonnerSprings.com

When night falls every year on the Kaw Valley Relay for Life, a powerful sight begins to glow as illuminated bags lining the Bonner Springs High School track are illuminated.

With each luminaria bearing names of people fighting cancer or those who’ve lost their battle, the Luminaria Ceremony is a powerful part of the annual American Cancer Society fundraiser. But this year’s ceremony is getting an added twist, reaching further into the community with the help of a Bonner Springs High School student.

Chelsea Crawford, BSHS junior, said that instead of using sand to hold down the luminary bags, this year the job will be done by canned food.

“I will hopefully collect 2,000 cans by June 1,” Crawford said of her project. “The luminaries will stretch all the way around the track and after the event, I’ll pick up the cans and donate them to Vaughn-Trent (Community Services).”

This year’s Kaw Valley Relay for Life will start at 7 p.m. Friday, June 11, at the David Jaynes Stadium.

Crawford said she was approached by Kristie Smith, luminaria chair for the event, and asked if she wanted to help with the project. Crawford will be using the canned food drive for her senior project.

“It seemed like a good opportunity,” Crawford said of being asked to help.

Crawford’s involvement with the relay this year not only satisfies her senior project requirements, but she said it goes along well with her future career goal of becoming an oncology nurse.

Bins have been set up at the high school, Clark Middle School and the Bonner Springs Price Chopper, 501 Commercial Drive. Crawford said she’s hoping the community responds to the call for canned food because her 2,000 goal is an ambitious task.

While Crawford has attended the Relay for Life every year, she said she’s never been part of one of the teams raising funds for cancer research. This year, not only will she be collecting the canned food for the Luminaria Ceremony, but she will be walking the track with the rest of the teams.

“In Bonner Springs, (the Relay for Life) is a big community thing,” Crawford said.

What she is most excited about for the project, Crawford said, was the opportunity to give back to the community. She said the donated canned food would be staying in the city and helping neighbors in need.

Carol Geary, director of Vaughn-Trent Community Services, said she was happy to hear another Bonner Springs youth was getting involved with the food pantry.

“We always have a need,” Geary said. “This year it seems like we have a much greater need than in the past. More people are coming to us, people who’ve never come to us before.”

Geary said Vaughn-Trent was lucky to be part of a community that got so involved in its services. She said from a young age, Bonner Springs youths are introduced to the outreach program. Whether it’s elementary and middle school students helping with the annual Christmas baskets or high schoolers taking on the task for a senior project, Geary said Bonner Springs youths always seem ready to help.

“I think it’s great,” Geary said. “It makes them aware of Vaughn-Trent and they learn there are people in need and they learn how to help other at a very young age. Bonner really gets the children involved and I think that’s a great thing.”

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