While in her first semester of college, local graduate Ashley Cook is striving to raise money for cancer research through the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.
Cook is a graduate of Cape Coral High School’s international baccaulearate program and majors in biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.
She recently organized a relay team with other students living on the same floor of her dorm. They call themselves iPad and they have created a Web site to raise funds.
“As team captain, I have high hopes for this year and believe that with this event we can not only make a difference but show others what can be done when a group of people come together with a common cause in mind,” said Cook in a letter to friends.
The team is hoping to raise $1,000 for the event and, according to its site, has $280 collected. Relay for Life is an overnight event hosted at a local school or park where teams get sponsors and participate in a relay and games.
Della Booth, Ashley’s mother, said she’s been trying to raise money and earn pledges from the community during Christmas break.
“We worked on that while we were here for the holidays,” said Booth.
Cook said Relay for Life is more than just an exciting event. Over the past six years she said she watched more than five members of her family fight cancer.
Her fund-raising efforts are in honor of four people: Jo Ann Bentley, David Booth, Peg Rouse and Richard Bentley Sr.
“For me this is more than just an event, it’s a chance to make a real difference,” she said.
Ashley is studying biomedical engineering so she can begin research on cures for cancer, explained Booth, who added that donations made to Ashley’s Relay for Life team are tax-deductible.
As a student at Cape Coral High School, Cook was a recipient of the Bill Gates Millennium Scholarship.
Ida S. Baker High will host the 2009 Relay for Life in Cape Coral. The theme is “Carnival for the Cure.”
Relays are one of the American Cancer Society’s largest fund-raising events and are held nationwide each year. They feature a survivor’s lap, a Luminaria Ceremony and various contests.
For more information on the Relay for Life, visit www.relayforlife.org.