A chance to not just talk the talk, but walk The Walk

Ah, June….the month that gets Nettie Flower and the rest of the gang from New England pumped up.

                Ah, June….Baseball in Chicago, Stanley Cup hockey – OK -- maybe it’s not all seashells and balloons.

                June, however, is when high schoolers are set free to embark on a litany of activities that generally get them away from academia and the halls of school. 

                But not always.  There’s a group of students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools that may be enduring their most busy week of the year (academics aside, of course).  Once again, students from both schools are working together to coordinate the “Relay for Life”, a major fund raising initiative of the American Cancer Society.

                This year’s Relay starts at 7 p.m. this Friday at Stevenson High School.  As of Tuesday, the web site for the BGHS/SHS Relay reports that there are 43 teams  participating, which have so far raised $73,017.34  That’s not a bad start, but when you consider the 2012 census puts the population of Big Animal Grove at 41,715, that comes out to $1.75 per resident.  That may buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks – unless you’re into their fancy caramel lattes with skim milk and extra whipped cream – then it’s a whole lot more.

                The late Will Rogers reportedly once said that America was the only place where a man would drive a Cadillac to the poor house. That may not be possible today not because people aren’t poor, but probably because GM would recall the car before a guy got to the poorhouse.

                Rogers, however, may have been on to something. There are folks who have more than a little spare change who snub a chance to be charitable.  When you look at the work the students from Buffalo Grove and Stevenson high schools are doing – and what they’re doing it for – supporting them should be a no brainer.

                But they’re not doing it alone.   A look at the Relay’s web site, which by the way is http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=57828, will give you a look at the variety of teams that are participating.  The teams represent area corporations, bands, groups of friends and even the Village of Buffalo Grove, which once again has a team in the Relay.

                The team’s captain is Trustee Jeff Berman who takes on that role not because he was asked to, or because he wants notoriety.  It’s because he lost his mother to cancer – 39 years ago – when he was a teenager. So rather than simply recall that his mom died from Cancer, Berman does what he can to not only raise funds, but awareness of the continuing need for research into cancer.

                As of Tuesday, the village team has surpassed its goal of $1,200 by more than $1,800.  A lot of other teams have exceeded their goals as well, but there’s still a long way to go.

                It’s one of the few times when you hear people not only talk the talk, but walk The Walk.

                It’s an easy thing to do.

                Can’t walk?  A little support can go a long way.  Just think of Nike.

                Just do it.