Relay for Life

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Author: Kathleen Jo Luevano

What do you call a 24 hour celebration with friends, food, music, and entertainment – and all for a good cause? Relay For Life. Participants of the event celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember those lost and fight back against a disease that takes too much.

Thanks to Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, Occidental hosted its first ever Relay For Life from Saturday, March 31st to Sunday, April 1st. Event chair, Megan Reeves ’07, said “I am so proud of our small community. [We raised] so much more than I ever thought was possible with such a small school.” The event’s target was $15,000, but after all the fundraising done by the 300 participants, the grand total amount raised was over $42,000. The team that raised the most was Braun Hall (plus two other participants) with about $6,500 and first-year Katja Nelson, whose mother passed away from breast cancer in 1996, raised $1,565. “I emailed friends and family and asked for contributions. They were all really helpful.” Jessica Iyer ’08, also took this route of fundraising and raised a total of $1,025. “My uncle died of cancer last fall, so everyone wanted to contribute.” Another fundraising method was done by Peter Polydor ’09, who help a “Poker for Charity” Tournament. Money from this contributed to his team’s total of $1,690.

The 24 teams that participated consisted of Oxy sports teams, Greek life, residence halls, friends, and the international students. Each team had a station and a theme for their mission delivery, which brings awareness to the many sub-topics of cancer. These mission deliveries included lung cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, early detection, and cancer research. Survivor, Nathan McCusker, 23 years old, was diagnosed at age 7 with Non-Hodgkins Burkitt’s Lymphoma. When asked how many Relay For Life events he has participated, he chuckled and said “so many, at least 20. This one is great with all the mission deliveries, and has an awesome turnout for a first year event.” McClusker gave a survivor’s speech at the opening ceremony on Saturday, after which he and 6 other survivors walked a “Survivor’s Lap” while everyone else lined the field. Family members placed survivor medals around each of the survivors’ neck at the end of the lap, and then all teams walked one lap together. This was the official kick-off of the event.

The day continued with on-site fundraising, which included selling noodles and $1/minute massages, entertainment, and team members continuously walking laps. Entertainment chair, Kat Haan ’07, kept the 24 hours full of activity with a scavenger hunt, a performance by 3 bands (1 Oxy band), a magic show by an Oxy alum, Stephen Bent with juggling, a Fantastiprov show, movies from 1-5 am, and breakfast at 6 am followed by Yoga.

The Luminaria Ceremony, a signature nighttime event of Relay, includes the lighting of candles, (due to safety concerns glowsticks/bracelets were used), to commemorate all victims and survivors of cancer. “HOPE” was spelled out in the stands with these glowsticks and Luminarias, lit-up bags decorated by participants to commemorate a loved one, lined the field. CAC co-captains Dawn Gruber ’09 and Renae Cotero ’09, sold these Luminarias for $5 earlier in the day. The ceremony commenced with Luminaria Chair, Eliza Schillhammer ’09, reading the poem “Every Candle Has a Name” by John Storey. The last stanza seemed to be the most touching for the participants – “There’s a name of the ones who still are here, There’s a name of those gone we still hold dear. There’s a name, each one shining in the flames, And we know that every candle has a name.” The opening of the Luminaria Ceremony also included the performance of Mindy Smith’s song “Angel Doves” by sophomore Ally Jurkovich and senior Derek Steer on the guitar. Breast cancer survivor, Dikla Benzeevi, gave a speech in which she said that “once you have even the slightest concern [about having cancer], you should get checked. It doesn’t matter what age you are, early detection can save your life. I am completely healthy now.” Schillhammer took the stage again for a group activity. She first said “If you have been touched by cancer, please break your glowstick [light your candle].” This continued with “If you have a family member who has been touched by cancer, please break your glowstick.” Each following statement referred to having a friend, coworker, or even knowing someone who has been touched by cancer. Soon enough, everyone’s “candle” was lit and all participants walked a lap together. Sophomore Erik Quezada was especially touched during the event because his mother is a cancer survivor and Relay For Life “really brought home to [him] that others have also dealt and are dealing with this problem.”

The event closed at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning with the announcement of total funds raised. Megan Reeves said, “[though] we’re a small school, we will be making a real difference.”

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