GUILDERLAND — Lauren Conti, an eighth-grader at Farnsworth Middle School, has turned a school project into a real-world event to raise money for a family facing cancer.

She will be hosting a run to benefit Christi Van Royen, of Bethlehem, a wife and mother of two daughters who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. This winter, the cancer spread and she has been traveling, sometimes weekly, to get treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

The medical and travel expenses add up, said Lauren, who plays in a local soccer club with Van Royen’s daughter, Joanna.

“Jo and her family were on my mind,” Lauren said, explaining how she developed the idea for the run when she was assigned to do a “passion project” in her language arts class at school. Students were supposed to pursue something they are passionate about, she said — some made websites, others fed the homeless, and some learned a new skill to teach to the class.

Lauren planned a 5K and 3K fun run that she is calling “never hang up your gloves.” It costs $20 to enter and all proceeds will go to the Van Royen family. Runners will be given Tee-shirts with a design drawn by Joanna — a breast-cancer awareness ribbon with a pair of boxing gloves that says “keep fighting.”

Lauren is hoping that the run will raise between $5,000 and $10,000 for the family. Those who want to participate or make a donation can do so at www.finishright.com.

The run is scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, June 2, at the Slingerlands firehouse at 1520 New Scotland Rd. in Slingerlands.