Jack Callahan undoubtedly has a busy schedule. A member of Eastlake’s varsity soccer team, the senior is knee-deep preparing for final exams, graduation and his next step at the University of Washington.

But, just like the last three springs, nothing is standing in the way of the 18-year-old’s passion for Relay For Life.

The eldest sibling of Maddy Callahan, an 8-year-old Sammamish girl who died in November 2009 after a year-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Jack has made it his annual mission to help fight cancer.

“It’s become, in my eyes, one of the most important things I do,” he said. “For me, it’s something bigger than myself that I can help with. It’s become a way for me to help give back  —  a way for me to make a difference.”

On Monday, Jack and his sisters, Bailey, 16, and Megan, 14, gathered at MOD Pizza in Sammamish to raise money and educate the community about Eastlake’s eighth annual Relay for Life. The event is scheduled to begin at noon, this Saturday, May 18 at the school’s track.

“I just want to make it known how terrible this disease is and I love helping to make sure that other families don’t have to go through what I went through,” said Megan, an eighth-grader at Inglewood Middle School.

Bailey, a junior at Eastlake, said she was very close to her little sister. She is excited to share Maddy’s story for the first time during a speech Saturday.

“I have a countdown on my cell phone and I started it back in September  —  before the committee started, before anything, I had it when I figured out the date,” she said. “I’ve been counting down the days.”

Team “Mighty Maddy” is comprised of five different sub teams of roughly 60 people. Bailey and Megan are each leading their own group, with Jack and his friends leading three more teams.

MOD Pizza, which supported Monday’s fundraiser, has its own ties to the Callahan family. Company cofounder Ally Svenson, who has eight restaurants in the Seattle area, is friends with Maddy’s mom, Susan. A close observer of the little girl’s battle, Svenson named her popular cheese pizza after Maddy. The Sammamish store donated $1 for every pizza sold from open to close May 13.

“It was wonderful how many people came out to MOD on Monday to support the Mighty Maddy Team,” Svenson said. “We are happy to report that Maddy Monday set new records, which says so much about the amazing community of Sammamish and the ongoing love and support that exists for the Callahan family. All of us at MOD are proud to support something so meaningful.”

At the beginning of the week, nearly 600 people and 67 teams were registered for Eastlake’s Relay For Life. The school had already raised more than $75,000.

Jack, who is the Relay for Life co-chair for the second year, said the ultimate goal is high as always.

“Every year the event’s been around we’ve beat our previous record,” he said. “This year we’re hoping to beat our record and maybe get to $140,000.”

Teams are allowed to register and donations can be made until the last minute. Go to the Relay for Life website for more information.

Maddy Callahn, Courtesy of the Callahan family