In late January, upper school soccer teams took to Davis Field for this year’s Kicks Against Cancer event to benefit Camp Okizu, which organizes camp outings for children with cancer. The girls varsity, boys varsity and boys JV teams raised money in the week leading up to the event by selling T-shirts and wristbands. This year, the event’s organizers also sold special tie-dyed T-shirts, which proved to be great sellers.

“We only ordered 75 shirts, because we weren’t sure if they were going to be popular,” said senior Maile Chung, who helped organize the event. “Lucky for us, we sold out on the first day of Kicks week.”

Chung first got involved with Kicks Against Cancer as a freshman. “When the upperclassmen started telling me to wear purple for Kicks and sign up for selling, I was very excited to become more involved with this great fundraiser,” she said. “I wanted to help out as much as I could, not only for raising money for Camp Okizu, but also because I wanted to enhance my leadership skills.”

Although the amount raised had not been tallied at press time, Chung estimated that it was between $1,000 and $1,500.

“I’m really happy that I was able to take charge of this fundraiser and be a part of something that benefits others,” Chung said. “If I hadn’t put myself out there and tried to be a leader, I wouldn’t have had the amazing experience of being a part of Kicks, which I definitely would have regretted.”