BRIGHTON, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) -- Teachers and school administrators say it's not just a special group of kids that take the lead for Pink Week; the whole community in Brighton steps up and makes each year memorable. And during their latest round of fundraising efforts, they all helped raise $85,000 to help in the fight against cancer.
"These kids care," Kelly Armstrong, who teaches AP English and the leadership class at Brighton High School, said. "These are students who care about their community. They care about our school."
Brighton High School's Pink Week has been happening every year since 2012, Armstrong said.
"What is so special about Pink Week is that it is a community-wide event," she said.
The leadership class of 35 students is in charge of the planning of Pink Week, with events like a powderpuff football game, school assemblies and the big football game under the Friday night lights at the end of the week where they honor cancer survivors.
"Certainly it's not just about breast cancer. Our funds go to the Trinity Cancer Center right here in Brighton and they go to patient support services," Armstrong said.
Trinity Health told CBS News Detroit the money gathered from Pink Week, which totaled $85,000 this time around, goes directly to patients. In years past the money has helped to add more chemotherapy infusion bays, exam rooms and counseling for newly diagnosed patients.
"What these young men and women have been able to do is really outstanding," Daniel Lawson, executive director for oncology with Trinity Health Center Network of Southeast Michigan, said. "Seeing their commitment to this and enthusiasm is really inspiring to me."
Armstrong and Brighton High School's principal Matt Evans said that donating to cancer care in the community gives students an opportunity to better understand the disease.
"It really is a partnership. It's not just, 'Hey, here's, here's a check, here's some money.' It's putting our kids in the room, hearing from the experts," said Evans. "It's way different than just reading a story about somebody that went through this struggle."