No time like the present for this busy Glenbrook North student, Relay For Life organizer

For his next trick, David Gichner will create more hours in the day, because he can use them.

The Glenbrook North senior, a magician among his many pursuits, keeps a lot of plates spinning.

He likes it that way.

"I love to fill my schedule," he said. "I get an adrenaline rush from being busy and going from activity to activity."

Other than graduating from high school on June 4 - ending his term as president of the Glenbrook North Student Association executive board - currently atop Gichner's agenda is Glenbrook North's Relay For Life, for which he's served two years as co-chair of sponsorship and fundraising.

The annual event, this year from 5 to 11 p.m. June 6 at the Glenbrook North football stadium, is the world's largest volunteer fundraising event, according to the American Cancer Society, the event's beneficiary.

Glenbrook North has participated for years. Committee members meet monthly, coordinate activities they hold throughout the year, and ramp up to the final event.

Glenbrook North's club is among the most successful of high schools nationwide, Gichner said.

More than 100 students will participate, along with cancer survivors and "tons" of community members, he added.

"He has played a pivotal part in bringing the energy and enthusiasm to every meeting and event, which contributes to the strong sense of community within our organization and students' dedication to the cause," said Namitha Abraham, a Glenbrook North instructional assistant in English and the school's Relay For Life sponsor.

"I've had many members of my family that unfortunately have lost their lives to cancer," Gichner said.

Abraham noted that a magic show Gichner performed this year was one of the "most notable" Relay For Life fundraisers. Gichner rented a Northbrook Park District theater for a sold-out act, drawing nearly 300 attendees. The event raised more than $3,000 for Relay For Life.

"Beyond seeing his leadership skills grow over the years, it was amazing to see how he was able to use his talents for a great cause," Abraham said.

Gichner, whose mother, Jackie, is a 1988 Glenbrook North graduate, has been performing magic since he was 8. After watching another magician do his act. Gichner started by learning tricks on YouTube.

"Most people give up after a little while," he said. "I just stuck with it and have been doing it ever since."

He's performed all four years at the Glenbrook North Variety Show. After doing magic remotely during the pandemic, he still performs shows online and for live audiences at public and private parties and corporate events, or for charity.

"The best support that I can get is from people coming to watch me, and there are so many people out there who could use the monetary funds," Gichner said.

One show he did in 2021 for the Chicago charity Cradles to Crayons raised more than $11,000, he said.

This Sunday, Gichner's got a children's magic show scheduled at the Tennaqua Swim and Racquet Club in Deerfield.

He amazes audiences by somehow transferring a bill signed by an audience volunteer into a whole lemon - or having signed playing cards put in his and a volunteer's mouths seemingly switch places.

Not only a magician, he's formed his own company, Zounds! Entertainment. He heads a 23-person team of dancers, DJs, and emcees who provide entertainment for all-ages events. All ages means kids' birthday parties to assisted living centers.

Though Gichner will be leaving for the University of Texas on Aug. 17, his plan is to continue Zounds! remotely and maybe open a branch in Austin.

Gichner also helps coach basketball for Shine On Sports for Girls, which schedules its activities at various North Shore facilities.

"David has been incredible coaching our girls," said Shine On Sports director Nate Scheck.

Also, after six years attending an overnight sports camp for boys, Camp Horseshoe in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, this summer Gichner will be in his second year as a counselor and director of evening programs and special events.

These are all parts of one of Gichner's best tricks - making time fly.

"I'm always trying to find ways to work, because rather than sit on a couch I'd rather get out and do things," he said.