DOWNEY - March Madness was in full swing at Downey High School but it had nothing to do with basketball.The campus embarked on a three-week effort to raise money for the Downey Relay for Life, which begins June 1 at Downey Adult School. In the end, the school raised $23,462. Both teachers and students rallied in support of current student Mario Galvan, who is undergoing chemotherapy for stage 3 Hodgkin's lymphoma. Mario was part of the CIF championship football team and is also on the soccer team. Mario told his story to the entire school during a kick-off assembly "and you could have heard a pin drop as 2,000-plus students listened during two separate assemblies," school officials said. Residents can join Team DHS or create their own team for the Relay for Life by going online to relayforlife.org/downeyca. Cancer survivors are invited to sign-up as a survivor and attend a celebratory breakfast and opening ceremony on the morning of June 1.

********** Published: April 25, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 02