They put on their sneakers, tighten up their laces and they’re off. They run around the track countless times before coming to a slow stop. They jog off the track with nothing but smiles on their faces, admiring all of the hard work they have done. This is Relay for Life, and behind the curtains of this event is sophomore Yaniv Goren.

Relay for Life is a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society (ACS) that is held every year in May. Goren, one of the directors, organizes the event at Weston High School, where participants gather for an overnight sleepover, running or walking laps to raise money for the fight against cancer.

“Spending hours fundraising and organizing the event and watching it gradually all come together is really, really rewarding,” Goren said. “I can only imagine how it’s going to feel when it’s the day of the Relay, and we have literally hundreds of people attending this big thing that we put together.”

During his freshman year, Goren attended Relay for Life with many of his friends after a group of upperclassmen convinced them to take part. Goren shares that he had lots of fun and was inspired to continue with the project in order to battle cancer.

“I loved the event a lot and decided that I wanted to play a bigger role, so I exchanged a few emails with the administrator, and now I’m on the leadership team,” Goren said.

This year, he is one of the organizers and directors for Relay for Life, and his job is to pull the event together. According to Goren, he contacts potential sponsors, recruits classmates, organizes mini-fundraisers, such as the Coaches vs. Cancer games, and plans out entertainment for the Relay itself.

“Officially, my main job is to incorporate the message of the ACS into our events. I essentially try to integrate cancer-related information into Relay as much as possible,” Goren said.

Goren is very excited to participate and help organize the event this year and is encouraging people of all ages to come in order to help fight the battle against cancer. To sign up you can visit the Relay for Life site and click on the location nearest to you.

“I’m happy as long as I’m making a difference,” Goren said.