For the first time in Harding history, Relay for Life was postponed until the spring semester. Harding University has hosted Relay for Life, an event sponsored by the American Cancer Society, since 2009. However, due to COVID-19 the event will not take place in the fall as usual.
“In order to maintain the integrity of the Relay for Life event, the planning committee for Relay proposes to move the event to spring 2021,” Lisa Bryant, Relay for Life faculty advisor, said.
Bryant and her team made the decision to move the event to avoid putting immunocompromised participants in harm’s way.
“We are doing the event for these people, and without them there it is not the same,” juior Robert Solar, co-director for Relay for Life, said.
Relay for Life is a 12-hour event created to support and raise money for cancer awareness and research. Every year, cancer survivors are honored in a survivor lap, which draws many visitors to campus for the event. In the midst of the COVID-19 precautions, inviting people to campus and putting them at risk was not an option for the planning committee.
In addition to this, clubs and organizations set up tents to raise money for cancer research
Junior Mary Claire Banks is in charge of helping women’s social club Pi Theta Phi come up with a fundraiser for the event.
“I was sad to hear that we couldn’t have Relay for Life this semester, but that just means that we have more time to make it better next semester,” Banks said.
In the meantime, there will be ways to give financially in the next few months.
Social clubs on campus will be having a fundraising competition with a reward for the club who raises the most money.
“We still wanted to do something this fall to prepare for the event,” Solar said. “We thought doing this would be a great way to stay active for the American Cancer Society.”
More information about the club fundraiser event will be released in the future. For now, students can look forward to participating in the all-night event in the spring semester.
“It is our prayer that by waiting until the spring, we will be able to have the event as designed by the American Cancer Society, and incorporate all of the important components of the event,” Bryant said.
For more information about the event, visit acsevents.org.
