Relay For Life to raise funds for American Cancer Society

Students and community members are gearing up for IU’s annual Relay For Life, which raises money for the American Cancer Society. The event will be this weekend from 5 p.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Sunday at the Billy Hayes Track.

Senior and event chair Sara Friedline said she and her fellow organizers hope to raise $35,000.

“I’m optimistic about this year,” she said. “We have a lot of enthusiastic participants who are going to make this event worthwhile.”

Relay For Life currently has 249 registered participants who are raising money.

“It’s a team-based fundraiser, so participants are in teams of 10 to 15 people or more, and they raise funds together,” said Erica Meyers, community representative at American Cancer Society for Monroe County.

Participants raise money in several ways, one of which is through the Relay For Life website.

“As far as fundraising on the website goes, we’re probably at the same amount we were at last year at this time,” Meyers said.

Teams participate in a noncompetitive casual walk throughout the event.

To go along with the Relay For Life tagline of “Cancer never sleeps, so neither do we,” organizers ask all teams to have at least one member on the track at all times.

Other activities that will take place include games, ceremonies and a dinner that celebrates cancer survivors and their caregivers.

“I think we’re going to have a big turnout of cancer survivors,” Meyers said. “They range from a two-month cancer survivor to a 34-year cancer survivor.”

Senior Tiffany Kellogg first became involved with Relay For Life in eighth grade.
She continued her involvement throughout high school and the last four years at IU.

“Cancer has hit my family pretty hard,” said Kellogg, who lost an aunt, uncle, grandmother and grandfather to the disease. “It’s just something that is really important to me.”

This year, Kellogg served as one of the executives on the planning committee and coordinated all of the live entertainment.

She said she is most looking forward to the Luminaria Ceremony, which honors cancer survivors and those who have lost their battles with cancer.

“People decorate bags in memory of a loved one that has had cancer,” Kellogg said. “We line them up around the track and fill them with candles or glow sticks.”

Junior Ali Kissinger is participating in Relay For Life for reasons similar to Kellogg’s. She has been personally affected by cancer and said she hopes to make a difference.

Kissinger first became involved in Relay For Life when she was eight years old.

She has been involved with the event at IU for two years and currently serves as one of the co-chairs.

Kissinger’s initial involvement was sparked by her grandmother’s cancer diagnosis.
A few years later, her three-year-old sister was diagnosed, as well. Consequently, Relay For Life is very important to Kissinger’s family, she said.

“It is a place where my whole family comes together,” Kissinger said. “Cancer is one of the things we are very passionate about finding a cure for.”

Kissinger said she is anticipating many things about this weekend.

“I’m looking forward to seeing all of our hard work and planning come together and to seeing the survivors because that means they can celebrate another birthday, and that’s what Relay For Life is all about,”
she said.