Senior leads city-wide CancerFree KIDS Night for the Fight event

As a member of the Executive Leadership Board for CancerFree KIDS Night for the Fight, senior Shelby Highfield is working to “knock out cancer.” Her heart and hard work as a member of the board helped CancerFree Kids to raise over $245,000 for cancer research. Seven teams of students from McNicholas participated in the event as well, contributing to that total.

Night for the Fight brings hundreds of high school students together for an inspiring all-night event filled with games, food, dance parties and speakers to raise money for pediatric cancer research. The event is hosted by CancerFree KIDS and is largely planned by the high school student leaders appointed to the Leadership Team and Executive Leadership Board.

Out of hundreds of students that apply, Shelby was one of only 15 students appointed to the Executive Leadership Team. Students are chosen for the team based on their outstanding leadership skills and work ethic. More importantly though, team members must have big hearts and a passion for making a difference.

Shelby said, “We aren’t just planning games and dance parties, we are also talking with families going through cancer treatment, listening to kids’ stories, and planning reflection time for the event. It’s important to understand how emotional it is for these families and that this fundraiser can actually make a difference for them.”

Shelby learned this value of service and compassion by first watching her mom, Mrs. Jenni Tumser ’00, volunteer with Night for the Fight. She then got involved herself as a freshman when she started at McNicholas.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself by being involved with Night for the Fight. As a freshman I knew service was important but I didn’t understand why. After four years, I’ve learned how much I care about people and want to have an impact,” Shelby said.