On Saturday, April 28, Hofstra held their 5th annual Relay for Life. Relay for Life is a walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society funds efforts of cancer research of all kinds. Every year, over 3.5 million people participate in relays in over 5,000 communities across the country. The walk lasts for 12 hours and goes throughout the night.
At Hofstra’s relay, there were over 1100 participants, mostly students, making up over 100 teams. At the beginning of the event $7,700 had already been raised, an amount that already surpassed the funds raised at last year’s event. In order to reach Hofstra’s goal of $100,000, most teams hosted on-site fundraisers. Many sold food items or coffee to get walkers through the night. But some teams got very creative this year. Sigma Pi rented a moon bounce and charged $2 to jump while Delta Gamma asked boys to run around with bras on and have people stuff them with money. Also, luminary bags were sold in memory of cancer victims and survivors.
The relay began with an introduction and thanks to the coordinators of the event, both are Hofstra students. They both gave the reasons of why they relay: one lost a mother to cancer, and the other lost two close aunts. The survivors were asked to step forward and were given a heartfelt round of applause from the audience. Next, the caregivers were recognized and praised for all they have been through. To kick off the event, a Hofstra student and caregiver gave his speech of why he relays and also explained what he does each year in honor of his grandfather. Sophomore Dwayne Lindsey told the crowd that we would see him running the entire night and he held true to this promise. With this, he led the caregivers around the track for the first lap.
The night was filled with other moments that reminded everyone of the reason they relay. Emily Lovejoy, a senior at Hofstra, gave an extremely touching and emotional speech about her mother who recently lost her battle with cancer. This kicked off the lighting of the luminaries and a silent lap around the track. It was truly amazing to be walking with 1100 other people in complete silence with the only light coming from luminaries lit in tribute of loved ones.
The night became much more lighthearted after the ceremony. Various student groups performed, like Sigma’capella and Makin’ Treble. There was also a Mr. and Miss Relay pageant held to keep everyone entertained.
The number of participants dwindled throughout the night. But for those of us who stayed, it was the most rewarding feeling to be walking on the track at five thirty in the morning and seeing the sun rise. Of course we were all exhausted, but the feeling of accomplishment outshines any other emotion. It was also a great to hear how much money we had raised by the end of the night. Thanks to all the efforts made during the event, Hofstra was able to raise $103,000 for the American Cancer Society.
I’m looking forward to next year’s Relay for Life and I am sure it will be even bigger and better than it was this year!
