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Cross-town rivals unite to fight cancer
April 13, 2007
PLU has joined forces with the University of Puget Sound to host PLU’s second annual Relay for Life event on April 20 and 21.
The relay begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 20. At least one member from each of the 60-plus teams will circle the university track for 16 hours, with the relay ending at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 21.
The Relay for Life is an annual event held in communities and at universities in spring and early summer to honor cancer victims, raise money for cancer research and build community awareness of cancer-related issues.
The PLU and UPS combined event marks the first time two universities have united to host a relay, said Liz Lamb-Ferro, co-chair of the PLU relay planning committee. The two universities teamed up because UPS couldn’t host their own relay and PLU’s planning committee thought the cross-town rivalry would help boost fund raising efforts.
PLU’s inaugural relay exceeded everyone’s expectations last year when it raised more than $42,000. With last year’s success, the PLU planning committee set a lofty fund raising goal of $60,000.
“We figured another $18,000 would be no problem,” Lamb-Ferro said, especially since the committee planned to capitalize on the “competition factor.”
So far, that plan hasn’t come to fruition. As of Friday, April 13, PLU participants had raised a grand total of $21,010.
“We’re disappointed about that,” Lamb-Ferro said. “But we’re still very optimistic about it. Last year, the total jumped by thousands and thousands in the last few weeks.”
Combining the two relays has been harder than the committee originally thought, and may have actually hurt the fund raising effort, she said. For example, participants haven’t responded to the competition factor, and due to scheduling conflicts with UPS, this year’s relay is happening three weeks earlier.
Sixty PLU teams are registered to participate, representing more than 600 PLU students, faculty and staff. While some are a collection of friends, others are organized around residence halls or campus offices. Meanwhile, UPS has 28 teams signed up, representing 189 members of their campus community. As of Friday, April 13, UPS had raised $9,701.
During the event on Friday, local bands and acoustic groups will play, and student groups, such as Hip Hop 101, will give short performances. A host of other activities are planned, including an arts-and-crafts tent and an aerobics class on Saturday morning.
“We’re really trying to make this a community-oriented event,” Lamb-Ferro said.
The relay begins with a “survivor lap” run by cancer survivors and their caregivers. Around 10 p.m., the Luminaria ceremony will be held in remembrance of those who have died from cancer and to celebrate those who have survived.
Luminaries, white paper bags with a candle inside, will line the track as music professor Zach Lyman plays “Amazing Grace” on the trumpet, Lamb-Ferro said. Luminaries can be purchased for a minimum donation of $1 this week in the Columbia Center or at the Student Involvement and Leadership office in Lee House.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and half of all men and one third of all women in the country will develop the disease during their lifetimes.
The Relay for Life was created in the mid-1980s by a Tacoma doctor named Gordy Klatt. In an effort to raise money for his local American Cancer Society office, he ran more than 83 miles over a 24-hour period on the track in Baker Stadium at UPS. Throughout the night, his friends paid $25 to run or walk with him for 30 minutes, and he ultimately raised $27,000.
To learn more about the relay, including how you can participate, donate or join a team, visit www.plu.edu/~plurelay.
The Relay for Life is an annual event held in communities and at universities in spring and early summer to honor cancer victims, raise money for cancer research and build community awareness of cancer-related issues.
The PLU and UPS combined event marks the first time two universities have united to host a relay, said Liz Lamb-Ferro, co-chair of the PLU relay planning committee. The two universities teamed up because UPS couldn’t host their own relay and PLU’s planning committee thought the cross-town rivalry would help boost fund raising efforts.
PLU’s inaugural relay exceeded everyone’s expectations last year when it raised more than $42,000. With last year’s success, the PLU planning committee set a lofty fund raising goal of $60,000.
“We figured another $18,000 would be no problem,” Lamb-Ferro said, especially since the committee planned to capitalize on the “competition factor.”
So far, that plan hasn’t come to fruition. As of Friday, April 13, PLU participants had raised a grand total of $21,010.
“We’re disappointed about that,” Lamb-Ferro said. “But we’re still very optimistic about it. Last year, the total jumped by thousands and thousands in the last few weeks.”
Combining the two relays has been harder than the committee originally thought, and may have actually hurt the fund raising effort, she said. For example, participants haven’t responded to the competition factor, and due to scheduling conflicts with UPS, this year’s relay is happening three weeks earlier.
Sixty PLU teams are registered to participate, representing more than 600 PLU students, faculty and staff. While some are a collection of friends, others are organized around residence halls or campus offices. Meanwhile, UPS has 28 teams signed up, representing 189 members of their campus community. As of Friday, April 13, UPS had raised $9,701.
During the event on Friday, local bands and acoustic groups will play, and student groups, such as Hip Hop 101, will give short performances. A host of other activities are planned, including an arts-and-crafts tent and an aerobics class on Saturday morning.
“We’re really trying to make this a community-oriented event,” Lamb-Ferro said.
The relay begins with a “survivor lap” run by cancer survivors and their caregivers. Around 10 p.m., the Luminaria ceremony will be held in remembrance of those who have died from cancer and to celebrate those who have survived.
Luminaries, white paper bags with a candle inside, will line the track as music professor Zach Lyman plays “Amazing Grace” on the trumpet, Lamb-Ferro said. Luminaries can be purchased for a minimum donation of $1 this week in the Columbia Center or at the Student Involvement and Leadership office in Lee House.
According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and half of all men and one third of all women in the country will develop the disease during their lifetimes.
The Relay for Life was created in the mid-1980s by a Tacoma doctor named Gordy Klatt. In an effort to raise money for his local American Cancer Society office, he ran more than 83 miles over a 24-hour period on the track in Baker Stadium at UPS. Throughout the night, his friends paid $25 to run or walk with him for 30 minutes, and he ultimately raised $27,000.
To learn more about the relay, including how you can participate, donate or join a team, visit www.plu.edu/~plurelay.