Get your car washed, support cancer research

Get your car washed this Sunday (May 27) to help a team of Cambie secondary students raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

The team, String Gals, will be at the Esso Station on No. 1 and Blundell roads, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jade Wong, leader of the group, has a personal connection to the fundraiser, as she has lost three aunts to cancer.

One of her aunts, Shirley Wong, who passed away in December, is still the top fundraiser for the Relay for Life this year.

"I used to think I had such a big family - there were six of us girls," said Jade's mother, Linda Wong. "Now, there are only three of us left."

The Wong family first became involved after Linda's sister, Doris, died in 2003. In 2009, another sister, Rita, died from colorectal cancer.

The family's efforts have trickled down to the next generation with the efforts of Jade, her brother Lucas and cousin Rachel (daughter of Rita).

Wong will participate in the Relay for Life at the Richmond Olympic Oval this June 16, along with nine other teams including five youth from Cambie secondary. With the help of teacher Paula Charlton, these youth teams organized fundraisers including a carnival night that raised more than $3,000.

"It's been a long fight, but people in the community have supported us all the way through," said Wong, also a teacher at Cambie secondary.

To donate to Shirley Wong's page or register for the Relay for Life, visit www.relaybc.ca/ RichmondVancouver2012. The event runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday, June 17.