story by MARIO BOUCHER | photos courtesy of ROC5K FAMILIES
When a dozen high schoolers from Ravenscroft School decide to run, there’s no stopping them—especially when their efforts benefit others.
For the past 17 years, each March, these 12 high school Ravenscroft students—nicknamed Ravens on the Run (ROTR)—organize a local Running Over Cancer 5K to benefit the American Cancer Society and raise enough money to earn a spot in the Hood to Coast (HTC) Relay Race in Oregon. In late August, co-captains Charlotte Stringer and Dane Woelffer led ROTR in the 199-mile HTC race,
nicknamed the Mother of All Relays.
The popular Hood To Coast Relay Race is the largest running and walking relay race in the world, attracting participants from each U.S. state and more than 40 countries. Runners form teams of eight to 12 and, over about 30 hours, cover 198 miles from the top of Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean.
“Being a captain of Ravens on the Run has given me the opportunity to make an impact in the lives of North Carolina cancer patients and their families,” Stringer says. “Cancer affects everyone in our community in some way, which is why our fundraising is so important.”
RUNNING FOR CHARITY
Of the 12,500 runners participating in HTC, ROTR is the only high school team and the largest fundraising team for the American Cancer Society. In 17 years, the team has raised more than $1.2 million for the ACS.
“The money we raise goes directly back into North Carolina through research grants, patient support, and the Hope Lodge in Greenville,” Stringer adds. “I feel so lucky to give back to our community and hope to represent the American Cancer Society’s continued commitment to our state this August in Oregon.”
Woelffer agrees about the importance of raising awareness and money for the ACS. “There are lots of reasons to run this race. The biggest reason is that lots of families all over the world have suffered a lot from cancer and decreasing that suffering by raising funds for the American Cancer Society, coming up with a cure, is a pretty cool thought.”
Woelffer says he thinks about his grandmother and the impact of her death from cancer. “I had to watch my mom cry about it, and I had to watch my cousins cry about it. Nana’s spirit is with me, and I know each stride brings us closer to a world where no one has to face cancer. It makes me feel good that I can do something to help.”
“Even though Hood To Coast takes place in Oregon, it affects people locally because the money we raise to earn our spot goes directly to the central and eastern North Carolina region of the American Cancer Society,” he explains.
The senior students organize meetings and fundraisers for a couple of years before passing the torch to juniors. “I’m so excited to do Hood To Coast again because this is my second and final year, and it’s a really fun, incredible, life-changing experience. I am honored to be a team captain, to be a part of this tradition, and to pass on the legacy to future Ravens on the Run participants,” Woelffer says.
Chris Speranza, a recent graduate and a 2023–2024 co-captain, has also been affected by cancer in his family. “The fight for cancer is important for me because I have had too many family members affected by cancer and who have been supported by the American Cancer Society. The ROC5K is a way for me to show my appreciation towards the ACS, and I’m proud of the amount of money we have been able to raise for them.”
In late August, co-captains Charlotte Stringer and Dane Woelffer led ROTR in the 199-mile HTC race in Oregon, nicknamed the Mother of All Relays.
IMPACTING THE WORLD
Haley Browne is another recent graduate and a 2023–2024 co-captain who adds that organizing the 5K run—including fundraising, putting up signs and gathering supplies—was a lot of work but worth it when seeing how it touched people at the race. “When we started talking to the people walking and running at last year’s Running Over Cancer 5K (ROC5K), it was so impactful. Everyone writes a note about who they are running for on our honor wall. One man told me it was the first time he walked more than a mile since finishing chemo a month earlier.”
“We had a big group with chairs and signs and homemade T-shirts that had come from all over the country to run for a friend who was currently in treatment for cancer,” Browne says. “She cheered them all on and even walked with them for the last 20 feet of the race. The ROC5K brings people together for a good cause, and the money we raise really makes a difference.”
With an Emmy-winning film crew, the ACS followed three teams, including the ROTR team, at the 2024 Hood To Coast race as part of a plan to raise the profile of its Endurance Series.
Richard Averitte, executive director of the ACS for Central and Eastern North Carolina, reflects on how inspiring it is for a team of high schoolers to create meaningful change regionally and earn recognition on the international stage.
“Ravens on the Run has become one of our region’s most impactful teams—not just for their energy and fundraising through the ROC5K, but for the lasting difference they make in the lives of cancer patients across central and eastern North Carolina,” Averitte says. “Their efforts directly support vital programs like Road to Recovery, which provides free rides to treatment, and our Hope Lodge in Greenville, which offers patients and their caregivers a home away from home.”