Relay for Life event will take place at U. to raise awareness for fighting cancer
The Rutgers chapter of Colleges Against Cancer will collaborate with the American Cancer Society (ACS) to hold their Relay for Life event this Sunday on Livingston campus from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Relay for Life looks to celebrate the lives of cancer survivors and promotes awareness of the disease as well as raise funding for the organization’s mission to eliminate cancer, said Tracey Depano, senior community development manager at ACS and organizer for the event.
Diana Hadad, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and president of the ACS at Rutgers, said goals for the event include creating an environment where members of the Rutgers and surrounding community can come together as one to show support for those who are affected by cancer.
The event will consist of three specific traditions that help participants celebrate, remember and fight back against the effects of cancer, which include a survivor’s lap, a luminaria ceremony and a fight back ceremony, Depano said.
Depano said the event will begin with the survivor's lap, where cancer survivors are invited to circle a track together in celebration and as a symbol of hope and inspiration to those still currently battling cancer.
The luminaria ceremony is the second part of the event which occurs after dark and consists of a candlelit ceremony and attendees walk another lap in silence. This part of Relay for Life is held to honor and remember those who have been impacted by cancer, she said.
The last portion of the event is the fight back ceremony, in which attendees agree to make a personal commitment to continue to participate in the event’s fight against cancer, Depano said.
“The significance is to show that it does not matter if we do not know each other personally because at the end of the day we support one another and wish the very best for each other,” Hadad said.
Hadad also said the relay provides the members of the Rutgers and surrounding community an opportunity to create fond memories in a time of need.
Several University clubs and organizations are set to participate in the event, including the Changing Health, Attitudes and Actions To Recreate Girls (CHAARG) club at Rutgers, according to the event’s website.
Abigail Zuckerman, a School of Arts and Sciences junior and secretary for CHAARG, said multiple of the club’s members have signed up to volunteer at the event.
“CHAARG decided to participate in Relay For Life this year to add a fundraising element to our organization,” she said. “Giving back is very important to the CHAARG members, and what better way (is there) to raise money for cancer (than) while exercising?”
Relay For Life has been working for over 36 years in an effort to bring communities together to bring about change toward the effects of cancer on people and has become the world’s largest peer-to-peer fundraising event dedicated to this cause, according to the ACS website.
“(Relay for Life) is a time with friends and family to catch up with that person you haven’t seen in the longest time," Depano said. "It is a candle lit (event) for those you remember or wish to honor and a time to know that you can make a big difference in the lives of others."
