Harding’s annual Relay for Life is fast approaching and preparation is well underway to make this year’s fundraising event even bigger than previous years.
Executive director for Relay junior Veronica Rodriguez and co-director junior Matthew Woodson said the committee has doubled their team goals and almost tripled their fundraising goal from last year.
“Our team goal is 35 teams and our fundraising goal is $25,000 overall,” Woodson said. “If we meet our fundraising goal we will be the top collegiate Relay for Life program in the state of Arkansas.”
Rodriguez is confident in Relay’s abilities.
“We’re very capable of doing it,” Rodriguez said. “We’re already on a roll sponsorship-wise and with getting teams involved.”
Relay for Life, an organized, overnight fundraising walk for the American Cancer Society, raises money for cancer research and is an opportunity for people across the globe to honor cancer survivors and fight for every birthday threatened by cancer.
At Harding, Relay for Life is a 12-hour event hosted on the front lawn and allows the clubs on campus and the community of Searcy to come together for games, bands, food and a variety of other entertainment. Lisa Bryant, assistant professor of education and the faculty adviser for the Harding Relay for Life Committee, said she fights back in memory of her mother.
“I started ‘relaying’ after my mom died of cancer,” Bryant said. “One of the American Cancer Society slogans is ‘celebrate, remember, and fight back.’ This is my way to honor my mom and fight back for her.”
One of the many events that makes Relay for Life special is the Survivors’ Lap that kicks off the night. Survivors of cancer and their caregivers are invited to take the first lap around the track, celebrating their life and their victory.
Woodson, whose grandfather is a five-time survivor of cancer and been involved in Relay for Life events for as long as he can remember, has always walked as a caregiver.
“The most chilling thing is when you see all the survivors walking together,” Woodson said. “Everyone else lines up around the track and just claps for them the whole time. It just brings you to tears.”
Another special event is the luminaria ceremony that takes place after dark, when paper bags are filled with sand and a candle is placed inside. They are decorated in memory or in honor of a friend or loved one affected by cancer, and then they are placed around the track and lit.
“I’m really looking forward to the committee being able to see this,” Rodriquez said. “A lot of the committee members have never done Relay for Life before. I’m looking forward to them seeing how much Relay means to the people we’re trying to help.”
The event will be Oct. 11-12 starting at 5 p.m. Friday and ending at 5 a.m. Saturday. Signups are still going on at relayforlife.org and people can register with a team or as an individual.
“I’m always impressed with how hard the students at Harding work,” Bryant said. “I think it’s very possible to do reach our goals and make Harding’s college relay the biggest in the mid-south. It’s a reflection of the commitment of the clubs and volunteers here.”
