The Stevenson Athletic Department has teamed up with Compass to Care, an organization that focuses on making sure children with cancer get the best treatment possible, in an effort to raise awareness and funds for Childhood Cancer Awareness month through a campaign called Replace the Lace. The money raised will allow children with cancer to travel to get the best available treatment. During games, Stevenson athletes participating in fall sports will be switching out their regular shoelaces for a gold-colored pair.

Students or faculty interested in participating in the campaign are encouraged to either order a pair of laces online or buy a pair during lunch periods on Sept. 17 and 18. Laces will also be sold during the varsity home football game on Sept. 18.

Even though this is the first time Stevenson has been approached to participate, Compass to Care has done work in the Chicagoland area with other organizations in the past and has teamed up with other schools in the area, such as Vernon Hills High school and Niles West High School.

“We’re always looking to give new groups opportunities to benefit from the generosity of our students,” Athletic Director Trish Betthauser said.  

The girls’ varsity and junior varsity golf teams have been wearing their gold laces during all of their recent matches. When her coach told her about the cause, Katie Hannahs ’18 thought the idea was something that could make an impact.

“It’s a really cool idea that shows support for an important cause in a different way,” Hannahs said.

The Athletic Department intends on purchasing gold laces for all varsity athletes with the goal that each athlete will get a friend or family member to purchase a pair as well. This way, the amount of laces sold will double, Betthauser said.

Anyone who buys a pair of laces is encouraged to post a photo on social media with the hashtag #ReplaceTheLace to get the word out during the rest of September.