East Carolinian

Issue date: 4/7/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Jessi Braxton

Media Credit: Jessi Braxton

Over 1,000 people came together for ECU's second annual Relay for Life event at Bunting Field on Charles Boulevard this weekend. Members of the ECU community, along with family and friends, hit the track on Friday to raise money and awareness for cancer research. The event lasted from 6 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Saturday. Seventy-four teams participated and raised over $80,000 for the fight against cancer.

Relay for Life event co-chair and ECU student Logan Monroe said the event was a great success. Although she hadn't received official numbers, Monroe said committee members estimated that the event raised about $85,000. In addition, fundraising for this years' Relay will continue until Aug. 31, so it is possible that they may top $100,000, she said.

"Our committee did a wonderful job getting everything done," said Monroe. "At the opening when I said my speech, thanking everyone, it was amazing. I don't even know how to describe it."

Monroe, like many ECU students, had a personal tie to the event. She has participated in Relay for Life since middle school, when her aunt was diagnosed with cancer. When ECU started its Relay for Life event last year, she immediately wanted to be involved.

"My aunt passed away from cancer about seven years ago, and she was one of the strongest people I ever met," Monroe said. "She really inspired me to get involved."

Monroe raised money by sending a letter, with her personal story, asking for donations for Relay for Life. She said she felt the event was important not only to raise awareness about cancer, but also to bring the community together.

"Everybody has a reason to relay," she said. "Everybody's been affected by cancer in some way, either because they've lost somebody to it or somebody close in their lives has been diagnosed.

I think it's important to get others inspired about that -- about their passion -- about why they relay. On Friday night when we had our relay, I felt like all those students were here because they wanted to help find a cure."

Many cancer survivors participated in the event as well. They not only hit the track, but also hit the stage to share their survival stories. The event started with a Survivor Lap, where cancer survivors walked a lap to celebrate winning their battle against the disease. For the remainder of the 12-hour event, team members took turns walking the track. A DJ provided music and many activities, such as glow-in-the-dark dodge ball, Wii and Guitar Hero competitions and yoga. These activities were held throughout the evening and morning to provide entertainment. At dusk, the lights around the field were dimmed, and candles were lit in honor of all the lives touched by cancer.

Bethany Venable, a first year graduate student in the counselor education program, volunteered through the Committee for a Cure, a group of ECU students that helped raise money for this year's Relay for Life. Venable is another ECU student whose life has been affected by cancer.

"I decided to get involved because my dad was diagnosed with cancer last summer and it just became a real personal thing for me," she said. "I guess I had this feeling that I couldn't really do anything for him, but I could raise money for them to find a cure."

Venable raised over $1,400 using her Web site and letters sent to family members and friends from home to solicit donations.

Over 1,100 people registered online, but Monroe believes even more showed up at the actual event. The top five ECU fundraising teams were Nursing Pirates for a Cure; Committee for a Cure (General group for ECU students); Alpha Omicron Pi and Friends; Cancer Got Schooled (ECU Teaching Fellows and Maynard Scholars); and Epsilon Sigma Alpha. The top five individual fundraisers were Logan Monroe, Bethany Venable, Mark Hand, Kylie Dickson and Tera Perez.

Relay for Life brings together over 3.5 million people to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors, honor those who have lost their lives to the disease and fight the disease through awareness, early detection and research throughout the country each year. Nearly 11 million cancer survivors are alive in the United States; however, more than 1.4 million will be diagnosed this year.

Venable said that because of the frequency of cancer diagnoses each year, Relay for Life is an important cause for students to get involved in.

"Unfortunately, I believe one in three [people] are diagnosed. Just about everybody has a personal tie," Venable said. "Many students don't think about it, but young people can be diagnosed, too. They aren't immune."

Monroe agreed, saying that the statistics are "overwhelming."

"Not only [students], but everybody needs to be concerned," she said. "Cancer doesn't just affect certain people, it affects all of us. It's very important for people to know that and to understand that you, just as well as your friend, could get cancer."

More information about cancer and Relay for Life can be found at relayforlife.org or at the American Cancer Society's Web site at cancer.org. To learn more about ECU Relay for Life or to donate before the Aug. 31 deadline, visit piraterelay.com.

The team hopes to have the 2010 committee in place by the end of the semester. For more information or to get involved, contact Logan Monroe at ecurelay@gmail.com.



This writer can be contacted at news@theeastcarolinian.com.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools