Let's bake: 1000 cupcakes going in oven for Cancer Society

RELAYING THEIR WAY: Lytton students put on their thinking caps then cooking hats to fundraise for the Cancer Society after it was forced to cancel its Relay For Life event because of Covid-19. The students are baking 1000 cupcakes as part of a school project which they hope will raise $10,000. From left are Caleb Poole, Tas Gurau, Brooking Poi, Sha-Hei Wake, Lytton head boy Kyle McVey, Ella Parkin, Lillie Valentine, Hayley Durston and Lytton head girl Rhiannon Kapa. Picture by Paul Rickard

Lytton High School head boy and girl Kyle McVey and Rhiannon Kapa are leading a school project to raise $10,000 for the Cancer Society of New Zealand.

The project involves baking and selling cupcakes, and 1000 of them came out of school ovens yesterday.

They will also be running sausage sizzles, supported by Mangapapa Four Square and Walter Findlay, along with some other activities.

“Unfortunately Covid restrictions meant that the Relay For Life (Cancer Society fundraiser) this year had to be cancelled and this opened up an opportunity for us to run our own ‘Relay Your Way’,” Kyle said.

“Rhiannon and I are motivated to give back to the community before we head off to university next year.

“We are in the position to be able to at least make some sort of a positive impact for the Cancer Society, and I think it would be a shame if we didn’t make the most of it.

“We also like a good challenge and raising $10,000 is definitely going to be that,” Kyle said.

“Originally we hadn’t set a goal and it wasn’t looking like our Relay For Life was going to happen this year, but we felt that if we didn’t at least try to do something then it would be another thing Covid has taken away from us.

“You’ve also got to think about the impact Covid has had on organisations like the Cancer Society who haven’t been able to host their own fundraising events.

“Everyone doing a little to help is a lot.”

Kyle and Rhiannon have previously made cupcakes which their prefect group helped sell around school to raise money for the Pink Shirt Day anti-bullying campaign.

“We have a prefect group of 12 and a teacher involved in our Cancer Society fundraiser, and we are so grateful for the support of Mangapapa Four Square and Walter Findlay Ltd,” Kyle said.

Shay Podjursky, of the Cancer Society, said the students’ project was “absolutely incredible.”

“It’s an amazing goal to aim for and I have no doubt you’ll hit it. That money will make such a difference in the Gisborne and East Coast community.”

The students will have their cupcakes and sausages for sale tomorrow outside Mangapapa Four Square.