Relay for Life returns in person, raises money for cancer enquiry

The+local+members+of+the+American+Cancer+Society+brought+the+Relay+for+Life+back+to+Matthews+Arena+March+25%2C+2022.+The+event+raised+over+%24150%2C000+for+cancer+research+and+support.+Photo+courtesy+of+Jessica+Richards.

The local members of the American Cancer Society brought the Relay for Life back to Matthews Arena March 25, 2022. The issue raised over $150,000 for cancer research and support. Photo courtesy of Jessica Richards.

With cancer currently ranked as the 2d leading cause of death in the United States and inquiry suffering delays and setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic , the fight against cancer is more important than ever. Each twelvemonth, the American Cancer Social club , or ACS, puts on its largest upshot, the Relay for Life , at over 2,000 locations effectually the world, raising money and awareness for cancer research, support and survival.

On March 25, Northeastern Academy's Relay for Life was held in-person for the first fourth dimension since 2019. Although the Northeastern chapter of ACS on Campus was still able to raise money for the fight against cancer throughout the past ii years, the render to an in-person result was a relief and a joy for many.

"It's definitely been very scary planning this effect because most students on campus at present, unless they're a fourth or fifth year, haven't seen an in-person relay," said Jessica Richards, a third-year combined ecology studies and political scientific discipline major and the executive director of ACS on Campus. "They don't know what relay is, and then we're really just excited that so much of the customs has come out to be a part of such an important cause."

The 12-hour event brought together hundreds of students from across campus and raised over $150,000 in back up of the American Cancer Society. The participants, a mix of survivors, caretakers and supporters, gathered in Matthews Loonshit Friday night with a true passion for their cause.

"More than anything, the alter that I feel this year is just and so much more excitement going into it because nosotros haven't had an in-person consequence since 2019," said Maeve Smart, a fifth-twelvemonth health sciences major and the mission and advancement event lead for ACS on Campus.

Relay for Life is a community event, relying on the donations of people both in and around the university to financially support the ACS's mission. However, the eye of the event lies with the students.

While the Relay for Life is backed past the American Cancer Lodge, the majority of the work going into the event is done by the members of ACS on Campus. The student members leading the upshot began preparation during summer 2021 and continued it throughout the autumn and jump semesters.

"The pupil leads have washed a astounding job in fulfilling every chore they could to brand this such a phenomenal event," said Sarah Bernhardt, a student engagement specialist in the Heart for Educatee Involvement at Northeastern University.

The members of ACS on Campus recruited hundreds of donors, sponsors and speakers in the months preceding the Relay for Life. These participants banded together to create more than 60 student-led teams, which, together, contributed to fundraising efforts, allowing ACS on Campus to reach its $150,000 goal.

Fundraising began months before the Relay for Life, but the March 25 effect marked a culmination of all of the hard work and try that the students had put in.

"But seeing all of the students in the centre of the track, I really got chills, considering the pandemic has been tough and cancer patients demand us more than ever and then seeing students come out and raise so much money and support cancer patients means everything," said Hilary Casillas, the director of development for the ACS of Massachusetts.

Each pupil that attends the relay has their own reason for marching. Some take lost family members to cancer, others are allies to the cause and a few are fifty-fifty survivors themselves. However, they are all bound together past the aforementioned mission: to raise money and awareness for cancer support, survival and enquiry.

"It's a really powerful fourth dimension to come together and celebrate cancer survivors and to take a moment to accolade people in our lives that nosotros've lost from cancer," Smart said, a survivor herself.

The Relay for Life began with an opening anniversary and a 'survivor lap,' in which cancer survivors walked a lap around the arena while all of the other participants cheered them on. And then, a night of commemoration ensued, in which attendees were able to honor loved ones lost to cancer and show their support in the fight against the illness.

The Relay for Life unified the efforts of campus and community members to benefit the mission of the American Cancer Society. Through the commitments of the event participants, despite pandemic-induced obstacles leading up to the 2022 relay, the students of Northeastern University were able to pledge their financial and emotional support in the fight against cancer.

"Nosotros're really only looking to be bringing the community together and raising money to support the fight against cancer too as to celebrate all of the difficult work and fundraising that everyone's washed all year long," Richards said. "We wouldn't be able to achieve what we do without everybody'southward support here."