Relay for Life returns to campus “huntin’ for a cure” Friday, Oct. 9. Social Clubs and other organizations will set up booths to sell food or host fun activities. Students may sign out of their dorms for the night to walk laps around the front lawn and make purchases to raise funds for cancer research.
Relay for Life faculty advisor Lisa Bryant said last year students raised approximately $11,000, and this year’s goal is $15,000. The theme is “Huntin’ for a Cure,” which Bryant said means students should expect to see a lot of camouflage.
Although most clubs have not yet finalized their booth plans, Relay for Life student chair and graduate student Emily Parsons said to be on the lookout for the return of a few favorites. Men’s social club Omega Phi is planning to cook more chicken and waffles, Sub T-16, Ju Go Ju and Ko Jo Kai are talking to Zion Climbing Center about potentially bringing back the rock-climbing wall and the Kibo Group will be selling coffee. So far there are 19 teams registered for the relay.
“It is so important for students to get involved because without them, we could not have an event,” Parsons said. “Even if you do not join a team, you can still help out by coming to the event and purchasing some of the goods and services. Can you imagine how much money we could raise if all 4,492 students spent four dollars? It would be $17,969. We’d be over our projected goal.”
In addition to the social clubs’ fund raising efforts, the College of Education has a team raising money for Amy Adair and Todd Patten, two faculty members who are battling cancer. Bryant said Dr. Donny Lee, dean of the College of Education, is allowing faculty in the College of Education to pay $20 to the American Cancer Society for the privilege of wearing jeans to class for the week leading up to the relay, as long as they also wear buttons in support of the cause. Bryant said they have raised several hundreds of dollars so far.
The relay will also include the traditional Survivors Lap in honor of students and faculty successfully recovered from cancer and the Luminaria Ceremony in honor of lost loved ones.
“Some of the people you see during (the Survivors Lap) have overcome immeasurable odds and should be celebrated daily,” Parsons said. “Both of these traditions are important because they are the reason we fight.”
Senior Loren Cheatham, who is a member of the Relay for Life team development committee, said she is passionate about the act of walking in the relay and all that it symbolizes.
“I love the whole walk itself; representatives of each team bringing awareness all night so that the track is never empty,” Cheatham said.
Cheatham’s grandmother had cancer multiple times. Her mother was also diagnosed during Cheatham’s freshman year of college, but has been cancer-free for a year now. Cheatham said being involved with Relay for Life altered her perspective on the prevalence of the disease.
“You don’t realize how many people you know are close to it,” Cheatham said. “This is the time when you start to hear other people’s stories and realize you can relate to them and help them out. That’s what I love about the whole experience.”
Bryant, who lost her mother, mother-in-law and both of her grandmothers to cancer, said she believes student involvement is important “because all of us have a cancer story.”
“There are very few people who can say they haven’t been touched by cancer,” Bryant said. “If people your age don’t continue the fight to find a cure for cancer, by the time I’m dead and gone there won’t be anybody fighting anymore. I would like for you all to grow old in a world that doesn’t have cancer anymore.”
Parsons said she volunteers her time to Relay for Life because she believes in the power of each individual in the battle against cancer.
“I choose to help out with Relay because I believe that one person can make a difference,” Parsons said. “I believe that every single person was placed on this earth to spread the love of Christ and that together we can one day rid this earth of a terrible disease called cancer. If one person can change the world, imagine what a whole community of Christ-loving people can do.”
Students can get involved by joining a Harding team at relayforlife.org. The deadline to register is Oct. 5. Students who wish to stay out all night must also turn in their H numbers to their team captains for dean approval by Oct. 5.
