From left, nutritional sciences junior Holly Wojtylko, prenursing freshman Vita Ferranti and prenursing freshman Devin Amez cut cake at the birthday themed Relay For Life Kickoff event held Tuesday evening at Erickson Hall Kiva. Ferranti and Amez are both members of team development and Wojtylko is part of team retention for Relay For Life.
Symone Ayers lost five family members to cancer and cites her grandmother, a survivor, as her major source of inspiration. Kelly Knupfer lost her uncle to brain cancer and aspires to work for the American Cancer Society after graduation. Chelsea Lewis watched some of her closest friends fight cancer, and now she fights for them.
Some MSU students are no stranger to the word “cancer.”
Ayers, a special education sophomore, Knupfer, an education junior, and Lewis, a journalism junior, all are part of the planning team for MSU’s Relay for Life. They spent Tuesday in preparation for MSU’s Relay for Life kickoff event, which took place Tuesday night at the Erickson Hall Kiva.
Relay for Life is a fundraising event organized by the American Cancer Society to raise cancer awareness, celebrate survivors and to honor those lost to the disease. MSU’s Relay for Life is an overnight event that includes a Survivors’ Lap, Luminaria Ceremony and a Fight Back Ceremony.
This year’s Relay for Life theme is “birthdays,” stemming from the American Cancer Society’s slogan: “The Official Sponsor of Birthdays.”
MSU’s American Cancer Society staff partner Emily Hendershot said 57 teams already are signed up for the relay, which will take place April 16-17 at the Ralph Young Field. MSU Relay for Life coordinators are aiming to involve at least 100 teams in this year’s event.
“Our goal is to raise $108,000, and we’ve raised just over $10,000 so far,” Hendershot said. “We expect a much higher number than that after kickoff tonight.”
Yesterday, students across campus wore purple in support of Relay for Life, and purple balloons were scattered across campus to raise awareness about Relay for Life. MSU Relay for Life committee members painted the rock on Farm Lane and chalked the sidewalks across campus to remind students about the kickoff.
Music, free food, prizes and information about this year’s MSU Relay for Life all were a part of the kickoff event. More than 100 students gathered in Erickson Kiva to join in the celebration and to honor last year’s top fundraisers.
Ayers said the kickoff event is extremely important to MSU’s Relay for Life.
“It lets you know that cancer is here, but you can do something to stop it,” Ayers said.
Along with giving back to the community, students also benefit individually from participation in relay.
Knupfer said the relay provides a way to meet people on campus, while Ayers said she likes the relay’s way of fostering support networks for those dealing with similar hardships.
“The sooner (students) get involved the better,” said Hendershot.
“It’s an experience on campus unlike any other. It’s a fun time to get together and build community.”
Deaf education sophomore Katie Sweers attended the kickoff last night for the first time.
Sweers’ family got involved in relay after her cousin was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 14. Sweers said 30 to 40 members of her family formed a relay team upon hearing the news and still participate in Relay for Life today.
“When we’d go to visit my cousin in the hospital it was so depressing,” Sweers said. “I love that the energy (at Relay for Life) is so positive.”
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