Relay raises $72 thousand

By Samantha Kantor
Writer

I’ll be spending the rest of the night lying in bed with ice on my feet, but I can confidently say that I would not take back any lap I did at the Relay for Life on the indoor track Sunday. Why? Because after 12 hours and $72,000 in donations, there is nothing that could make me happier than the validation of a few aches and pains.

For those of you who didn’t hear the blasting musical selection, see the mint-green clad Relay committee organizing, or smell the amalgam of pizza, candy and Rockstar emitting from the Gerhard Fieldhouse, you truly missed out on an incredible event.

The 34 teams, consisting of approximately 400 students, gathered at 10 a.m. and spent the next 12 hours walking and raising money.

“I was absolutely thrilled to see so many students participate in Relay this year,” said Casey Bryant ’09 a co-chair of the Relay Committee. “This is an event that truly unites the entire campus.”

The theme of the event was candy, and each team had its own chosen candy as a type of mascot with which its table was decorated. M&Ms, Hershey Kisses, Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids were represented, among many others.

The teams varied from fraternities and sororities to sports teams and residence halls to groups of friends dedicated to making a difference.

Money was raised beforehand by each person on every team through the Relay for Life Web site.

In addition to individual fundraising, the organization received donations from the sale of Luminaria bags before and during the event.

These bags were used for the Luminaria ceremony, during which each bag purchased was dedicated to either a cancer survivor or victim and illuminated with a glow stick.

With all of the fieldhouse lights out and all of the bags glowing, this moving ceremony brought tears to the eyes of many.

During the Luminaria ceremony, speeches were made by the University’s on-campus reverend, as well as by a visiting cancer survivor who enlightened us all with the story of his courageous battle.

“Relay for Life was a huge success,” said Carolyn Baker ’10, a team leader. “And our team (the M&Ms) won for best table decorations!”

During the Relay, there were performances by Latino Dance Corner, the Bison Girls, participants in the Relay for Life Idol Competition, Beyond Unison and many more. There was also a root beer pong tournament.

All of the speeches, performances and events that were put together by the College Against Cancer and the Relay committee made the day a successful one, but it was the dedication of the teams who spent their day working for this cause the generated such excitement.

“I’m so pumped! If you think $72,000 is a lot, wait ‘til next year,” said Joshua Goodman ’10, who will be a co-chair for next year’s relay.