Relay for Life at VCU draws hundreds

A sparse crowd gathered in the University Student Commons Plaza on the evening of March 26 for Relay for Life of VCU, a fundraiser for cancer research and education.

Though the crowd trickled down by sunset, more than 300 people attended the event throughout the day, said Chris Allen, setup and logistics chair for VCU Students for a Cure.

The event raised more than $7,000 and brought total fundraising efforts to more than $19,000, he said.

Nearly 30 teams of student organizations joined the relay, and booths lined campus grounds with various gimmicks to attract participants. The Flushin’ Cancer team awarded money to the person who guessed the approximate amount of pennies in a purple porcelain toilet, while the Kappa Psi team offered massages on a table for aching attendees. A reception for cancer survivors opened the day’s festivities, and local bands provided entertainment for the crowds.

“I definitely call today a success,” Allen said.

Though typically these relays are overnight events, the campus Relay for Life lasted only from noon until the early evening hours for security reasons, Allen said. Plans for next year’s relay may move the event indoors.

By 6 p.m. the crowds dispersed, and only a few team members walked the trail of luminarias, paper bags filled with sand and candles, circling the plaza. Each bag bore the name of a survivor or a victim of the disease.

The relay stipulates at least one member from each team must walk the track as a symbol of the ongoing fight against cancer. John Bajacan, 19, said he had walked a total of three hours since he began taking turns with team members in the afternoon.

Participating in the relay was a worthwhile experience, said Bajacan, a member of the Cancer Awareness Team, which raised more than $1,000. Bajacan said he has lost an uncle, a grandfather and a family friend to cancer. One of his aunts in the Philippines had a brain tumor but survived after undergoing laser treatment.

“We don’t know how painful it is for people who have cancer,” he said. “Doing this, you help serve victims of cancer, raise their hopes, support them. You help them keep going to live.”

More than 500,000 Americans died from cancer in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society. In Virginia, the disease claimed more than 13,000 lives.

Ten cancer survivors, including a VCU professor and a student, from the Richmond area were at the relay. Following sunset, the remaining crowd stood in silence to commemorate cancer survivors and victims during the luminaria ceremony, which closed out the day.

Donations may be made to Relay for Life of VCU until Aug. 1. For more information, visit www.acsevents.org/vcu