MKA Students Participate in ACS's Relay for Life

Over this past weekend, teams of MKA Upper School students gathered overnight in the rain at the MKA Middle School fields to participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, walking throughout the night and into the next day to raise funds.  Relay for Life events support education, research, advocacy and patient services, and honor those whose lives have been touched by cancer.  

Spear-headed by the efforts of MKA junior Kaila Fleisig, six teams participated, including “Got Hope” led by Fleisig, “Cougars for the Cause” led by sophomore Melissa Baney, “Cougars for the Cure” led by sophomore Dylan Goldberg, “MKA Smiles” led by senior Lizzie Amato and “MKA Lacrosse” led by senior Allie Bond.

Following the event, parent volunteer Lisa Baney emailed MKA administrators to share her impressions of the students: “the spirit of these kids was amazing. They are fun, wholesome, resilient, caring young people. You would be very proud!” Baney further reported that, “Kaila's team was such a stand-out leader in fundraising for this Relay, that the ACS awarded her team with a late-night buffet of Chinese food, that she shared with all the MKA kids and other participants.”

Says Fleisig, “I had 18 team members and our team as a whole raised $22,785.18 (we are still fundraising). Our initial goal was $10,000, then we passed it and I made it $20,000, so now our goal is $23,000, and we're 99% there!”

In all, 369 individuals participated in the event, including students from Montclair and Glen Ridge High Schools, as well as other families and individuals from the area, and over $82,000 was raised.