Relay for Life at MSU

It's always a special thing when thousands of people can come together for a night of remembering, celebrating, and raising money for Cancer research. April 17^th and 18^th marked the second Relay for Life held at the Breslin Center on Michigan State University’s campus.

Spartans Fighting Cancer, a group of MSU students, organized the event again this year and made it one of the most successful in the country. Relay for Life is usually a 24-hour event involving teams who commit to walk constantly through the night. There are also on-site fundraisers and special ceremonies to raise awareness of the American Cancer Society and funds to find a cure.

This year’s Relay was only twelve hours long, but it raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Kate Rendi, a survivor and a member of Spartans Fighting Cancer, spoke to the success of the event: “We estimated that over 5,000 participants were at this year’s Relay for Life. We had 77 teams attend Relay from student organizations, campus housing, and general students. Many student organizations were present including Hospitality Association, MSU Greenline, and MSU Pre-Professional Club; student housing included Case and McDonnell Hall; and many other teams were formed by students in memory/honor of cancer survivors such as Kurt Strong and Team Olivia.”

These teams have pages on the American Cancer Society’s website to raise as much money as possible before the actual event, although more funds may be raised during the Relay. Teams have the option of creating their own booths on the concourse of the Breslin Center where people are walking; these can feature activities like games, bake sales, and face painting.

This year’s event even had various performances, a Taste of East Lansing area for participants to eat, a Rave Hour close to midnight, open sports games, a dodgeball tournament, and karaoke and Zumba at 4:00AM and 5:00AM.

MSU Student and Instructor Shelby Fritts teaches Zumba at about 4:00AM

Ceremonies in Relay for Life are also a big part of the night, because they allow people who have been affected by Cancer to speak out about why the Relay matters.

The Opening Ceremonies and the Luminaria Ceremony highlight all of the people who have personally battled Cancer or know somebody who has, which is nearly everyone in the arena. These ceremonies, though emotional, are a way for lost loved ones to be honored once again.

The Ceremonies are often the favorite part of the night for many participants. Kate agreed, explaining “Luminaria always seems to be my favorite part of Relay. This is the time where we remember those who are fighting or who have lost their battle to cancer. During this ceremony we had a survivor speaker tell his story and then opened up the microphone for the audience to share their intimate experience with cancer. This moment always takes my breath away as an endless line forms, with emotions and memories different for each individual. Some experience relief of sharing their reason to fight, to finally say the words out loud of the dreadful battle in their life. The support shown by the community in response to each individual shows the ability of Spartans to stand together in difficult times.”

The line this year lasted over forty five minutes with participants testifying to thousands of people about why they are present and relaying.

The Luminaria Ceremony

The largest contributor to Relay for Life is Greek Life of MSU, which bands together to raise thousands of dollars long before The Relay starts. Caitlin De Luca, a member of Alpha Xi Delta and a freshman at MSU, was incredibly proud to be a member of Greek Life and to be given a chance to Relay for a family member who lost their battle with Cancer. “Relay is such an important event for me. It symbolizes my family and my continued fight to find a cure for cancer for my Aunt. We lost her to pancreatic cancer, and this year I was able to relay for her on her birthday. It was bittersweet, but it just showed me that life comes full circle. Every time I or someone else relays or even donates, we are one step closer to finding that cure so that no one else has to lose their life to this horrible disease.” 

Caitlin De Luca (far left) with (from left to right) sorority sisters Gina Pellillo, Rachel Schafer, Hannah Rakow, and Savannah Nota.

Last year’s Relay raised $236,000 dollars just from participants here at Michigan State University. This year the total on Relay night was $262,491. However, as of April 22^nd the total number jumped to $308,424.48 with August 31^st being the final deadline to donate to 2015’s Relay for Life.

The three teams that raised the most money were all from Greek Life, with De Luca’s team (Alpha Xi Delta, Psi Upsilon, and Phi Kappa Psi) raising over $50,000 dollars towards Cancer Research, a record for Relay for Life at MSU.

Kate Rendi also commented on their involvement and partnership with the MSU Greek Life saying that “Spartans Fighting Cancer reached out to work with Greek Life because of the initial success of last years’ event. We were so happy to reach such a large number of students who are so active in Greek Life on campus and throughout the night were blown away by their support for our cause. The fundraising done was beyond what we could have ever imagined and the hearts that were touched by bringing awareness to this awful disease is something that will never be forgotten. We are so excited to have grown together as a team for this amazing cause, partnering alongside of the American Cancer Society to be one of the most successful Relay’s in the country.”

Paige Moore, a member of MSU’s Panhellenic Council was also blown away by everyone’s dedication and the success of the event. Paige has been the top individual contributor of fundraising for the past two years at Relay for Life at MSU and her family has been personally affected by Cancer. “I’ve only been to relay twice. I really like the American Cancer Society because they represent Cancer patients in general, not just one type of Cancer, and are patient advocates. I relay to raise awareness, fund research, and I guess to kind of remember that you’re supposed to celebrate life.”

Paige Moore and her parents finishing the survivor’s lap

Paige has walked the survivor’s lap both years with her parents, who drive over an hour to attend the event with her. “It’s honestly incredible and so inspiring when a body of students can raise the majority of $300,000 dollars for the American Cancer Society. When a group of students can impact thousands of lives, it is incredibly moving. The Greek community can get a bad reputation, but honestly when it comes to bringing awareness to great causes and supporting them that is where we shine. Almost everyone knows someone that has been impacted by Cancer in some way, myself included. Being able to help out MSU’s Greek community, and be the number 1 fundraiser for the second year in a row, has been such an honor.”