Teenagers can make a difference when they team up with a common goal in mind, according to The Pink Warriors Relay for Life team comprised of 16 young female Clintonians waging their own kind of battle against cancer.

The 16 young ladies have felt the effects of cancer in their own families, they said. Camille Carr, Susan DeMay and Jessica Pretty each dealt with grandparents diagnosed with the disease. Sarah Murphy’s aunt battled breast cancer, which has also impacted the mothers of Olivia Barwick, Mary Griffin Carney, Kimberly Gore and Laura Beth Lane.

These friends, who all attend Clinton High School, decided to unite this year to raise money and awareness for cancer by forming a Relay for Life team, Lane stated. Lane and Murphy had the idea to start the team and their friends all joined it. “It was like a chain reaction,” said team member Christie Gutierrez.

Murphy said their “inspiration” to form the team came from the commonality that cancer has affected their loved ones and the reality that one day it could also affect them.

The interesting thing about this team, several adults have commended, is that they have organized themselves and done everything on their own with no adults on the team. Thier age has not stopped them from getting the job done, they noted. “Young kids can make a difference,” Pretty commented.

The team has already raised $1,250. They have sold several luminaries and torches, which will be lit the night of Relay. They are currently selling doughnuts from now until May 29, as well as blue T-shirts and hoodies that say, “Fight Like A Girl.” The saying on the T-shirts coincide with the name of their team — The Pink Warriors.

The ladies created their team name in honor of their family members who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Pink is the signature color of breast cancer. The warrior part came “because we’re fighting,” Carr exclaimed. Gutierrez added, “We’re all at risk,” in reference to cancer. The proximity of cancer in their family reminds the ladies that cancer can strike anyone at any time and the need to fight for research and awareness is now.

The night of the Relay, June 5, the girls will be on the football field of their alma mater participating in the event. They are planning to decorate their tent, donated by Betty and Phillip Merritt, with decorations to match this year’s Relay for Life theme — Toon Out Cancer — which is a pun for cartoons. Lane said their decor is “top secret” because they hope to win the tent decorating contest. The team will also participate in the pecan pie contest, team mascot contest and parade of teams, Lane noted. To raise more money the night of the event, the ladies will sell food and the “Fight Like A Girl” shirts.

After the Relay for Life this year, The Pink Warriors will participate in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in Charlotte. This cancer event is sponsored by Reese Witherspoon, who, they hope, will be in attendance.

The teens plan to continue as a Sampson County Relay for Life team next year and eventually pass their places on the team down to younger siblings and other youngsters, Murphy emphasized. Gutierrez expressed that she hopes the team will become like a “legacy” for female Clinton High School students to continue as “Pink Warriors” until cancer is defeated.

Other members of The Pink Warriors team not mentioned in this article are Haley Williams, Casey Faircloth, Augusta Murray, Denise Elizondo, Heather Goodrich, Ashley Partida and Katie Butler.

Amy Kelly can be reached by phone at 592-8137 ext. 119 or by e-mail at sigov@myclintonnc.com.