ilence filled the Newell Fieldhouse following the cracking sounds of glow sticks in honor of those who have lost a loved one to cancer. Hundreds of St Lawrence students and faculty gathered together from 6 p.m. Friday night to 6 a.m. Saturday morning to participate in Relay for Life. This 12-hour campaign is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society to raise money and show support for cancer research. Dozens of student-run clubs and organizations on campus attended to show their support for cancer awareness.
The Luminaria Ceremony during Relay for Life is an extremely powerful event that represents all of those who have lost a loved one to cancer, those who are battling cancer, or those who have overcome it. Therese Lupariello, a junior at St Lawrence, shared her connection with the luminaria ceremony. Lupariello explained how her Grandfather, a member of the St Lawrence community was diagnosed with colon cancer. She also shared that her aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer this past summer.
Following Lupariello’s brave speech, everybody in the room was asked to crack a glow stick they were given earlier to represent a lost loved one.
Members of each team take turns walking around a track for anywhere from 6-24 hours to represent that cancer never sleeps.” Cancer patients don’t stop because they’re tired, and for one night, neither do we,” according to the Relay for Life website.All participants were then asked to take a few silent laps around the field house along the luminaries in remembrance of those impacted by cancer.
Many club members chose to support the cause in their groups because of their first-hand experiences. Jackson Meyer, Philanthropy chair of Alpha Tau Omega, shared his reasoning for creating an ATO team to relay. “I lost my grandfather to lung cancer at a very early age,” he said. “I have done the relay with my family since I was young, I think it is a great cause.”
Moemedi “Wazzza” Rakhudu, Vice President for the Association for Campus Entertainment (ACE) also shared his thoughts on the event and how it impacted him. “I lost my father to cancer so relay for life hits close to home,” Rakhudu said. Every little donation and all the effort people put into raising money really does make a difference.” ACE hosted a FIFA tournament at the event in their efforts to help raise money. Other student-run entertainment groups such as The Singing Saints, SLU Funk, and Graceful Movements performed to also show their support.
If you would like to show support to cancer research, donations can be made at donate.cancer.org.