Olivia Snyder didn’t ask for gifts for her birthday this year.

“My birthday was on May 5th and I had an idea that this year, instead of gifts, the people that were coming to my party would bring money for Relay for Life,” the 11-year-old said. “ I invited 10 girls; I think seven showed up and a few adults pitched in and I was able to raise $300.”

While Snyder raised awareness about Relay for Life at her birthday party, her mother, Brenda Snyder, did the same at the Children’s Academy of New Albany. Brenda is the librarian at the school, where she introduced Relay to her students and started the school’s first Relay for Life team. The walk starts Friday at Scribner Middles School.

“It was amazing,” Brenda said. “As soon as I put out the e-mail, I got response after response after response. Many of our team members haven’t done this before and it will be a first for a lot of them.

“Everyone was willing to jump on board. It was easy.”

Audrey Barrett, Children’s Academy counselor, is a first-time relayer and member of the school’s team.

“Brenda has put her whole heart in this endeavor,” Barrett said. “The kids have big hearts, but she has been the energy behind it. She is encouraging to everyone on the team and is organized and ready in a real energized way, so we are all real excited for the day.”

Brenda also received a positive response about Relay for Life from her students. They raised $2,350 for the Children’s Academy team.

“Because I’m the librarian, I was able to introduce this to the children with books,” she said. “We have a couple books about children with cancer and I told them the story about my dad and I told them they could make a difference by donating money.

“It’s was wonderful they felt so good about themselves for making a difference.”

Though her students and some of her team members were new to the Relay experience, Brenda was not. She has participated in the event ever since her father Damon Best, passed away in 2001 to esophageal cancer. Just like Brenda is the team and school’s driving force, Brenda said her father’s experience with cancer is her inspiration.

“Just seeing him suffer,” Brenda said, “and knowing there has got to be a cure so people don’t have to suffer like that. I’m sure he would be proud. I’m not sure he would have said it, but he would have felt it.”

Since 2001, Olivia has always been on mom’s team, helping raise awareness and money for the Relay for Life. Olivia’s motivation comes from knowing there is more to life than gifts at a birthday party.

“Just going to Relay every year and hearing people’s stories, and knowing that millions of people lose their life to this disease,” she said. “It just breaks my heart that someone had to die because of the disease.”

Floyd County Relay for Life

• What: American Cancer Society’s Floyd County Relay for Life

• When: Starts at 7 p.m. Friday and continues into Saturday

• Where: Scribner Middle School, 910 Old Vincennes Road, New Albany

• Web site: http://events.cancer.org/rflfloydin

This story can be found at The News and Tribune website - http://www.newsandtribune.com/floydcounty/local_story_157092911.html

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