Relay for Life will take place from 5 p.m. Oct. 21 through 5 a.m. Oct. 22. The event will take place on the Harding front lawn with booths and activities to raise funds for cancer research.
Senior Thomas Hesson has been helping Relay for Life since his sophomore year and is now one of the co-chairs for the event.
“A lot of my family has been affected by cancer,” Hesson said. “It was nice to find somewhere I can put my efforts toward helping to get rid of it.”
According to Hesson, the theme of this year is “Passport to Hope.” Every social club or organization will represent a country at their booth. Hesson said there will also be entertainment and possibly activities such as dunk tanks and inflatable battle balls.
Lisa Bryant, assistant professor of education, is the faculty advisor for the event.
“She is our rock,” Hesson said. “She is there when we don’t know what to do. She just helps drive it towards where it is supposed to go.”
Junior Bailey Forkner is also part of this year’s committee, she is team captain chair for the event. Forkner said she finds it interesting to see how everything comes together and how many people are interested in wanting to make a difference.
“This is a very big deal to a lot of people,” Forkner said. “What this is and what this is going to bring to a lot of families means a lot to me.”
For Forkner one of the main challenges of organizing the activity is the time. Forkner said the activity is time-consuming because there is a lot going on behind the scenes, but she also mentioned that she wouldn’t change being part of the event.
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate, and at any moment it can be you,” Forkner said. “It could be me, it could be your friend or someone you care about. You never think it’s gonna happen to you . . . among the ones you love, but it does.”
Forkner also said that what people participating should know and keep in mind is that every single dollar that they spend that night gets the teams closer to making a difference.
Senior Drew Howerton, another co-chair for the event, said he has been involved in Relay for Life since he was in high school. He said the goal for this year is to raise $20,000.
“The more participation the more involved people will be, the more the difference it will make; the more money we will raise,” Howerton said.
