UPDATE: May 19, 2012, 3:45 p.m.

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, Laurie Tewksbury’s name was misstated. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

After nine months of tireless preparation, Laurie Tewksbury’s hard work was finally coming to an end. Nearly 2,000 participants poured into the Carrier Dome as she zig-zagged across the field, making sure her last Relay For Life went as planned.

Having Tewksbury’s name attached to one of the country’s largest cancer fundraisers put some pressure on the senior advertising and marketing management dual major. If something went wrong in the process, her smile did not show it.

‘I’m tired but happy,’ she said at one point in the night.

To kick off the event, a group of cancer survivors gathered to take the first lap of the evening. For one fleeting moment, Tewksbury let a tear slip.

But she couldn’t continue crying, not even for Kara – a childhood friend she lost to cancer two years ago. She had to get back to work.

By the end of the night, $148,594.87 was raised for cancer research and aid. The evening was deemed a success, and Tewksbury was able to breath, but only briefly.

On Monday, she was back to work on an advertising capstone presentation, preparing for a social media conference, studying for a quiz and working at the Dome, a job she’s held since she was 16.

‘When Laurie is a part of something, she is not just a passive member, she’s an active member,’ said Katie Bresnahan, junior public relations major and fellow co-chair. ‘She participates passionately and actively.’

During last year’s Relay event, Bresnahan sat in front of a paper bag marked with her grandmother’s name on it. As she looked around, she found no one to help her deal with the loss. All of a sudden, Tewksbury was there with open arms.

Tewksburyinitially got into community service because she felt she was given everything in life when others weren’t. In high school, she helped serve meals to homeless people, an experience she called ‘eye-opening.’

‘I remember I gave a kid extra cookies,’ she said. ‘I always bend the rules. In a good way.’

During her first year in college, a Dome co-worker led her to join Alpha Phi Omega, the national coed service fraternity on campus. She helped out at various organizations through APO, then left to concentrate on Relay.

But not before her high school Spanish teacher told her about Imagine Syracuse.

Imagine, an after-school program for underprivileged children in the Near Westside, was a big part of Tewksbury’s life. For almost two years, she spent multiple days each week helping kids in arts, music and language.

Tewksburyenjoyed the enthusiasm she and the kids had for each other. She would play with them, rile them up and laugh at their jokes. One of her favorite moments was driving some of the kids home from Gannon’s Isle Ice Cream – windows down and music blasting.
‘I was one of them, really,’ she said.

Her father, Mark Tewksbury, remembers how much she enjoyed working there. She would often go through the family’s own toys and art supplies to donate to the kids.

Energy, enthusiasm and passion are words William Ward, a social media professor, used to describe Tewksbury’s go-getter personality. She cares about whatever she does, he said. In a good way, she’s almost overeager.

‘She’s impatient to see things happen,’ Ward said. ‘She’s not going to be content to wait and see what happens. She’s going to make sure that it happens.’

Tewksbury’s ability to juggle so many activities is one of her definitive characteristics. Mark Tewksbury first described his daughter as someone who never stops going and is always bored unless she participates in an activity.

‘I think just the fact that she does so much of it is what makes my wife and I proud,’ he said. ‘I think there are some students that would rather coast senior year. She doesn’t know how to coast.’

Bresnahan said Tewksbury’s ability to balance activities is both a strength and weakness. Sometimes, she has gotten stressed. But the pair has an unspoken system in which they sometimes take on each other’s work.

Mark Tewksbury can’t predict what his daughter will do in life, but he hopes she will enjoy doing it.

‘I think that’s one of the hardest things to determine in life,’ he said. ‘To be honest, I just want her to do whatever makes her happy.’

For Tewksbury, that means starting a future nonprofit organization that connects kids with the outdoors. She would take the kids snowboarding – one of her favorite outdoor activities – and then to a lake, all via a camp bus the kids would paint themselves.

Ward said he’s eager to see where Tewksbury will go in life.

‘I would say she’s already done some remarkable and noteworthy things,’ he said. ‘I’m sure we’ll see more of that.’

mjberner@syr.edu

Published on May 1, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Maddy: mjberner@syr.edu