More than $32,000 sets VCU Relay for Life record

Erica Terrini

News Editor

Students from the Relay for Life organization say more than 40 active teams raised about $32,000 in the annual, national American Cancer Society fundraiser for cancer research, setting a record for VCU on Saturday at the Cary Street Field.

Mary Beth Bird, a senior biomedical engineering major and 2010 event chair, said this year’s goal was to reach $30,000 in funds but an increase in team participants and long series of promotional pre-relay events allowed teams to surpass that goal. She said there were about 500 team members and an additional 300 participants at the relay.

“We provided some different incentives for teams this year,” Bird said. “We provided tents for teams this year. We also included some new activities for teams like decorating umbrellas that they could then carry around the field.”

The relay begins each year at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony.

Jet Aiken, a senior chemistry major and 2010 event co-chair, said this year’s opening ceremony featured Associate Vice Provost and Dean of Students, Reuban Rodriguez, a cancer researcher from the MCV campus and Sayed Alzalzalah—a 10-year cancer survivor and student attending VCU on a pre-dental scholarship from Kuwait.

“It was really nice to see how involved VCU is and how involved ACS is in the Richmond community and our university,” Aiken said. “We don’t even really recognize that.”

Aiken said after the ceremony, survivors were able to speak to participants about their personal experiences undergoing cancer before walking in a joint survivor and caregiver lap.

“It’s just really nice to show how many people in our community are affected by this disease and just really see the impact of it and really see how important it is to them as survivors—that our community comes together like this to support them,” Aiken said.

According to Bird, this year VCU had more survivors than ever before. She said there were about 20 survivors in attendance.

After the lap, survivors and caregivers are provided with a free banquet. Bird said the banquet is a great way for them to celebrate and receive support from other relay participants.

A series of mini-events follow the banquet. Smaller competitions like the Miss Relay Pageant, horse derby, relay races and a wing-eating contest are held throughout the day. Some events coordinate with the relay theme, which changes each year. This year’s theme was “Wild West Relay for Life.”

Travis Klein, a sophomore at Matoaca High School in Virginia donned a dress for a good cause in the Miss Relay Pageant.

“You never really know how cancer affects a wide group of people, you always know one person that has cancer but after you see all the survivors come together, you see how big of a disease this really is and how it needs to be stopped,” Klein said. “And that’s why I’m wearing a dress today.”

Entertainment is also provided as relay participants walk the track. Bird said this year relay organizers scheduled a band and choir group to perform.

The relay nears closing at 9:30 p.m. with The Luminaria Ceremony, which is a national relay tradition. Participants line the track white paper bags filled with candles in memory of those lost to cancer.

“It really is the culminating event of the day that kind of brings it to a close,” Bird said.

After an official closing ceremony, relay organizers can be found scattered across the field under the bright lights, cleaning up—packing up tents and picking up trash.

“Everybody really enjoyed it and we’ve gotten really good feedback,” Bird said. “Hopefully next year will be even better.”