Iowa City West freshmen raise awareness for cancer

Like cancer, the Johnson County Relay for Life knows no age.

Nineteen freshmen girls at Iowa City West High School have taken this motto to heart, forming the youngest team, the Pink Ladies, in this year's Relay.

"This goes to show that even though you're young you can still raise awareness and impact an important issue like cancer," team member Madie Miller said.

The Johnson County Relay for Life will be held June 15-16 at the University of Iowa's Cretzmeyer Track.

Julia Crouse started the team, with a goal of raising $5,000 in the fight against cancer, and she quickly was joined by her new classmates at West High. As of May 24, the Pink Ladies have raised $1,571.60 through a combination of online donations at www.relayforlife.org/johnsoncountyia and bake sales at West High. The team also will hold a car wash June 2 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Hills Bank and Trust Company, 1009, 2nd St., Coralville.

"I am pretty sure most of our team knows someone who has survived cancer or died from cancer, so they want to do Relay in honor of those people," Crouse said.

Miller knows someone. Her cousin, Connor had leukemia, but received a clean bill of health seven years ago.

"When I was eight years old, my grandparents took our family to Relay for Life and we spelled Connor's name on the back of our shirts and walked," Miller said. "I think everyone on our team has a story like that."

Team member Frannie Rizzo has noticed that more high school students are becoming involved with the University of Iowa's Dance Marathon. She believes the same thing can happen with Relay for Life.

Her message to local high school students: Get involved in Relay for Life.

"It's empowering to get an opportunity to do something good for people," Rizzo said. "It's a big step for us to start this. Hopefully, other teams will join us in the future."

For more information, visit http://www.relayforlife.org/johnsoncountyia,e-mail johnsoncountyrfl@gmail.com, or call 319-471-5076.For more information on cancer resources, visit your American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org or call 800.227.2345.