Yuma students, community members race to support childhood cancer research

A sea of yellow filled Veterans Memorial Stadium as Gila Ridge High School students and Yuma community members turned a Saturday morning 5K into direct support for childhood cancer research. Every dollar raised at the Miles for Childhood Cancer 5K Walk/Run went to the AdvoKATE Foundation, tying the race’s local turnout to a cause rooted in one Yuma family’s story.

The event ran from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, 2026, and participants were encouraged to wear yellow as a visible show of support for children and families affected by cancer. Gila Ridge High School Student Council hosted the race, adding another public service effort to a roster that includes projects on and off campus and events such as Relay for Life.

The foundation at the center of the fundraiser was created to honor Kate Campa, a competitive dancer in Yuma who died at age 16 from Ewing sarcoma in October 2020. Her mother, Lilian Campa, leads the AdvoKATE Foundation, which says its mission includes resources, advocacy, research and education, all under the message #KatesWay. The organization was built to raise awareness and funds for research to fight childhood cancer.

That local connection has helped make pediatric cancer events resonate in Yuma beyond a single morning run. In 2023, Lilian Campa said the foundation works to advocate and educate the Yuma community about childhood cancer awareness, during a Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month event at the Yuma Regional Medical Center Cancer Center Serenity Garden that included a walk and gold lights. The Campa family’s presence has kept the issue visible at community gatherings and public observances across town.

For Gila Ridge students, the 5K offered a practical way to turn school leadership into community action. For families who showed up at Veterans Memorial Stadium, the race was not just about finishing a course. It was about backing a Yuma nonprofit tied to a local teenager’s legacy and helping sustain the foundation’s work for research, awareness and education in the years ahead.