Written by Jordan Bailey
The first Relay for Life at Harding will be held at First Security Stadium beginning Friday at 7 p.m. until Saturday at 7 a.m. The theme is Back in the Day: 90s Style, and each team participating has a subtheme.
Relay for Life is an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society designed to raise awareness and funds to promote research and treatment for cancer patients. All money raised at events throughout the U.S. is donated to local hospitals and treatment centers.
The night begins with Opening Ceremonies, in which the Color Guard presents the colors, a speaker encourages the participants and cancer survivors walk the first lap around the track.
Each team will then have representatives begin walking with their banners. For the rest of the event, at least one member from each team must be walking around the track.
Side events include cookouts, games, four bands performing, a rock wall from Zion Gym and fundraisers set up by the various teams. At 10 p.m. the lights of the stadium will be turned off for a luminary ceremony with candles to honor cancer patients, and at midnight awards will be presented to teams.
The gates close at 1 a.m. for people staying the night, and the closing ceremonies begin at 6:45 a.m. when the team that earns the most money will be announced and presented with T-shirts.
Andrea Stackpole and Whitney Booth started work on Relay for Life at Harding last spring. Stackpole said they wanted to start Relay for Life at Harding to unify the campus behind a cause that has impacted numerous people.
“Cancer affects many, many people, and it’s something that we can do as a student body all together, raising money for the American Cancer Society and trying to make a difference with for the people who have suffered,” Stackpole said.
Booth started thinking about why Harding did not host Relay for Life while she was at work at PrimeCare Medical Clinic. She said community is what Harding represents, so having Relay for Life seemed like a wonderful idea because Harding’s involvement could significantly help.
The goals for this year’s event are flexible because it is the first attempt to host Relay for Life. The organizers have a monetary goal in mind, but they said they have no idea what to expect.
“It’s going to be the event, but we don’t want to set our goals too high because we realize that this is the first time, and … we’re going to do what we can do, honestly, and I think we’re going to be happy with whatever we get,” Stackpole said.
Booth agreed with Stackpole and said this year is a guinea pig, but next year the goals will be even higher because there will be a full year to plan.
There are more than 20 teams signed up to participate, including clubs, Bible study groups and a marketing group. Sign-ups end Friday at noon, and individuals do not have to be on an official team to participate.
The teams each have a fundraiser on-site: bake sales, games and other creative activities to earn money for Relay for Life. All money earned will be used by Relay to support local hospitals and cancer treatment centers.
Stackpole, a sophomore, said she had heard about Relay for Life for several years through friends in her hometown, Culpeper, Va. She particularly wanted to be involved with it because her sister had breast cancer, and she said cancer is something that affects lots of people.
Booth, a sixth-year senior, was in the hospital room when her great aunt Weezie died, two months into her freshman year at Spartanburg Methodist College. The student life director heard her story and asked if she wanted to be the chair of Relay for Life for colleges in the area.
Booth said she feels that if it had not been for her aunt, she would never have been involved with Relay for Life. She participated in Relay for Life for two years at Spartanburg before transferring to Harding.
Sarah Wheeler, a freshman early education major, began participating in Relay for Life her freshman year of high school. Wheeler said her school hosts Relay for Life every year, and she joined a team with a friend whose mom had cancer.
Stackpole knew Wheeler had participated in the past, so she asked her to come to a meeting.
“I think so many people are affected by cancer,” Wheeler said. “I think that this is a good outlet for people that want to do something about it. It’s really easy to get involved with and really easy to participate in, and I think a lot of people don’t know what to do, don’t know how to help with something so huge as cancer, and this is just a really practical way for people to get involved.”
Students who want to stay all night must sign up early because they must be signed out of their dorms. For more information about Relay for Life or the American Cancer Society visit their Web site at www.relayforlife.org.
“We hope that it raises awareness about cancer and the fact that we can make a difference, helping them raise money, helping them to get more research,” Stackpole said. “We hope that it unifies the campus in many ways.”
