Relay for Life has been involved in a lot of fundraising this year to prepare for their annual event on Saturday, May 3 from 4 p.m.—10 a.m. Students and families can participate individually or in teams.
Some teams camp out overnight on the field and each one is asked to have at least one participant on the track at all times doing laps. The event honors cancer victims and survivors while raising money for cancer research.
According to the Relay for Life website, over “14 million cancer survivors” will celebrate a birthday this year! It is not too late to get involved. Students can sign up at Relay for Life tables in the S.U.B., or sign up online at the event’s website www.relayforlife.org.
At the beginning of the event is the Survivors Lap where cancer survivors gather to walk together.
“I love the Survivor’s Lap−the opening of the walk because I am a survivor and I think it is awesome to start the walk that way,” Director of Student Activities Marta Palmquist Cady said. “I also feel hopeful because we are walking, we are moving forward, we are working on ways to make this disease affect less people.”
Relay for Life is significant on a personal level for many participants.
“My sister was diagnosed with cancer when she was two years old and was fortunately declared cancer-free after a year and a half of fighting,” senior and co-chair of Relay for Life at Puget Sound Tess Davis said.
“Not all people are so lucky to be able to say that their sister is a survivor. I want to finish the fight for those that need help fighting against cancer.”
Relay for Life will be celebrating its 30th birthday this year and its first beginnings at Puget Sound.
“It’s a mild source of pride that I came to the school that started something as amazing as Relay,” sophomore Zack Cohan said.
There have been a variety of fundraising events for Relay this year.
One fundraiser on campus included a hamburger sliders food cart in the Oppenheimer Courtyard that helped Puget Sound raise money for the event. Other events included a bake sale and a hot wing eating contest in the Rotunda.
“DCS was kind enough to donate over 300 sliders that we sold in Thompson Courtyard,” Davis said. “Additionally, we had a hot wing eating contest in the S.U.B., which was very entertaining to watch! The Gibson’s truck also stopped by on campus and we received a percentage of the profits made. Our main way of fundraising, however, is through participant registration. We heavily rely on the donations that our participants make as well as receive.”
Every participant is asked to raise $100 through a $10 dollar sponsorship from family and friends. It is an incentive for teams to compete against one another to see who can raise the most money.
Every Greek house has had their own teams competing against each for fundraising efforts.
So far, Beta Theta Pi has made the most in fundraising with $1620.
“This year I will be participating with the Beta Delta chapter of Sigma Alpha lota, which is particularly important for our chapter this year because one of our alumni was diagnosed with cancer,” sophomore Lorrain Oill said. “We will have her in our hearts as we walk this year.”
Relay is a space where participants can remember those who have been affected by cancer and the continual research involved with finding a cure.
“I see Relay as a chance for people to come together, make a difference and have a good time doing it, which is really great,” Cohan said.
“At Relay, hundreds of people who have been affected by cancer are there showing their support for one another.”
