Laurie Tewksbury’s childhood friend, Stephanie Boyle’s great aunt and mother, Jamie Goldfarb’s grandparents, Jack McGowan’s father.

All have been affected by cancer, and all were among those remembered or honored at Relay For Life in the Carrier Dome on Saturday night.

‘Everyone knows someone who’s been affected by cancer,’ said Katie Bresnahan, a junior public relations major and co-chair for the event. ‘It’s a cause that everyone can relate to.’

Approximately 2,000 people attended Relay For Life at SU this year, including representatives from many Syracuse University student organizations, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY Upstate Medical University and the local community.

As an American Cancer Society fundraiser, Relay For Life raises money for cancer research and free services provided to cancer patients. The event encourages participants to remember those who have died and to honor those still fighting the disease.

With 5,000 Relays this year in approximately 25 countries, it is the largest fundraiser in the world, said Erin Shuff, senior director for special events for the American Cancer Society and staff partner for SU’s Relay.

‘The phenomenon that Relay For Life is,’ she said, ‘proves that people really do care and are really passionate about the fight against cancer.’

SU’s Relay, which is the largest student-run event on campus, raised about $148,594 this year as of press time, and organizers hope to match last year’s total of $175,000 through online donations at syracuserelay.org. The organization will accept donations throughout the next few months.

Relay participants began entering the Dome and staking out spots on the turf with pillows, blankets and tents at 6 p.m. Saturday. By 7:15 p.m., when cancer survivors kicked off the event with the first lap around the perimeter of the field, reclining students abandoned their spots to line their path and cheer them on. Everyone joined the survivors in circling the field after the first lap.

Live music played throughout the night as representatives from fundraising teams walked the path around the field. Alongside the path were various fundraising tables, including photo booths, henna tattoos, face painting, tarot card readings, video game stations, hula hoop contests and $2 rides in wheelchairs around the field provided by Upstate Medical University’s team.

The fundraising stations were organized through fraternities and sororities, residence halls, student organizations, independent community members and other fundraising teams.

This wide variety of participants is what makes Relay a unique event to Bresnahan and Tewksbury, a senior advertising and marketing major. The two co-chaired the event along with Julie Deutsch, a junior information management and technology major.

‘It’s really nice to go in and see all these students from all different ways of life and areas on campus coming together for one cause,’ Bresnahan said. ‘We’re all banding together for a night.’

Haircuts were also offered on the main stage to benefit Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to children who have lost their hair because of medical treatment. Purple hair extensions were available nearby for a donation to the American Cancer Society.

At about 10 p.m., the carnival atmosphere subsided with the beginning of the luminaria ceremony. At this time, glow sticks were placed in decorated paper bags, each representing a loved one who has died or is fighting cancer. Participants bought the decorated bags throughout the night and placed alongside the field.

As the lights dimmed, everyone in the center of the field walked the path together again.

Organizers read aloud the names of those who had passed away first, followed by the names of those who are still fighting, while large screens displayed photos of the individuals. As the hourlong ceremony continued, walkers stopped by the bags representing their loved ones to grieve and reflect.

The somber mood lightened after the ceremony. While some participants left at this time, many more settled in for the night. The event continued with live music, Zumba and many more laps around the field until the early hours of the morning.

The money raised for the American Cancer Society makes a difference in the lives of cancer victims, said Shuff, the American Cancer Society staff partner for SU’s Relay.

‘There’s only so much that medical staff can do for you,’ she said. ‘That’s where the American Cancer Society kicks in.’

In addition to cancer research, the money will go toward free American Cancer Society programs like Road to Recovery, a ride service that takes cancer patients without transportation to treatment; Look Good, Feel Better, a program that gives patients tips on makeup, wigs and hats; and Hope Lodge, a hotel for patients’ families who travel for cancer treatment.

In the effort to end cancer, young people play an influential role, Shuff said.

‘College students are different. I think they often care even more because they have all the energy of youth that just comes with that time of your life, and they feel even more motivated to make a difference in the world,’ she said. ‘Relay provides an excellent opportunity.’

nagorny@syr.edu

Published on April 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm