Relay for Life

Relay for Life is practically a household name in today’s society with over 11 million people being diagnosed with cancer 2006. Every spring since 2004 the University of New Hampshire does there part against the disease by hosting a relay.

The relay consists solely on volunteers. Volunteers to set it up and volunteers to raise money and walk. Volunteers join together to form teams. Last year there were 117 teams consisting of 1200 volunteers. This year the committee hopes for 120 teams and around the same number of participants.

Throughout the teams there is a friendly competition. Events are planned to keep people occupied and awake for the entire 24 hours. When asked why the relay is 24 hours Jessica Horan, Event Co-Chair, responded with “cancer doesn’t sleep so neither do we.”

Last year the relay raised over 130,000 dollars, 10,000 over their goal, towards cancer research. Horan says that they would like to reach that number again this year.

American Cancer Society awarded the Relay for Life Committee with an Award for raising the 130,000. When you break it down that is 9 dollars for every student at the university.

This year the theme is Defeating Cancer through the Decades. In the past teams have been asked to make a poster about various forms of cancer. This year teams will be given years and they will have to find a cancer related fact that happened in that year.

The word Horan kept using to describe the relay was “fun” “It’s what its all about” The Relay for Life will held on April 17-18 from noon to noon at the Ludholm Gymnasium