We first divide up into teams for the event and create a team goal. Each member on the team then creates a personal goal and asks for donations to their personal page prior to the event. At the event, each team sits together and creates a booth for themselves with activities unique to the team. The only rules are that all fundraising that takes place at the event goes to Relay for Life, and that one person from each team should be walking around the track at all times. Individuals are also rewarded for the donations they receive with prizes.
There are three main parts of the event. On is The Survivors Lap, where cancer survivors take the first lap around the track to open the ceremony. Then, everyone is invited to walk. The second part, which is my most favorite, is the Luminaria Ceremony, where bags are lit to honor those who lost their lives or are currently fighting cancer. This ceremony is the most touching part because of the way it is orchestrated. The last part is the Fight Back Ceremony, which closes the event and everyone takes one last lap and pledged to spread awareness about cancer.
Relay for Life is such a special event because it unites people all around the country in so many ways. It brings people in a community such as Binghamton University together by making us work together to battle something that affects so many people around the world. If you can, please try and sign up for a team because raising money for an organization like the American Cancer Society really has the potential to make a difference in the lives of so many.
To see more about Relay For Life, click on the attached link:
http://www.relayforlife.org/index
It's strange how I've heard about Relay for Life almost every year since high school--maybe even before then-- but I've never fully understood its purpose or exactly what happened during the event. For one, I never expected it to take place during a Friday night and last well into Saturday morning, nor did I know that the proceeds would go towards the fight against cancer. From the sounds of it Relay for Life is a wonderful fundraising initiative, but I think more individuals would participate in the event if the hours weren’t so unusual. Of course individuals who are passionate about the work of the American Cancer Society will participate in the event, but I worry that the individuals who aren’t passionate will miss out on this wonderful opportunity to give back. I can think of a slew of people who might not take part in the event because of its hours (e.g., college students more interested in hitting the bars, adolescents with curfews, adults with weekend hours, the list goes on), so I wonder why the American Cancer Society choose that specific 12-hour block.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, I could not help but to think about St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, which is a 501c3 organization dedicated to finding cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. I learned about St. Jude’s last semester after volunteering with my sorority at a walk in Syracuse, and fell in love with its mission and the fact that no family is required to pay for its treatment or services. Interestingly enough, I was reminded about St. Jude’s at an event I attended this past weekend and during last week’s class we had a whole conversation about St. Baldrick’s, which is another organization dedicated to combating childhood cancer. While cancer research and treatment has never been a major focus of mine, I understand its importance and appreciate organizations that make it their mission to make advancements in this arena. For whatever reason individuals can’t participate in Relay for Life this year, I strongly encourage them to look into St. Jude’s and St. Baldrick’s to learn about other ways they can help in the fight against cancer.
I have participated in Relay for Life in my former University and I can honestly say that it has been an eye opener for me. Why? The impact it has on the individuals it seeks to raise awareness about. Like Emma, I was uninformed of this event until my spring term of my freshman year. I knew that it was raising awarness for something, but what that "something" was, I had no clue. Regardless of what, I still did the walk because I knew it had some good connotation attached to it. However, that is where I went wrong. My decision was kind of like performing uninformed giving that we talked a lot about in the beginning of the semester: Good intentions but poorly informed decisions. I wonder how much individuals are making decisions like these and does it even matter, as long as we are getting involved right? WRONG.
ReplyDeleteAfter I participated in Relay for Life in Appleton, WI, I attended a workshop following up on individuals reactions to how they think the event played out, and while doing so, a brief summary of what and why we have the event was relayed to me.
I believe that being more educated on what exactly the event was, would have allowed me to get more individuals involved, being that I had personal connections with individuals who have leukemia and have had family members pass from cancer.
Overall, Relay for Life is great! It raises awareness and forms a sense of community for those who have been affected and for those who want to get involved.
And speaking for self, It is better to educate ones self first before participating in an event like this because a greater impact can be made when this is done.
This is my first year participating in Relay for Life, but to be honest I didn't know what happens at the event either! haha. Now I'm really excited. Emma, you have a good point about targeting a demographic. In my opinion, Relay for Life is perfect for the college demographic, because I am super busy during the days, but during a night I'd just be sleeping or hanging with friends, and hanging with friends can easily be moved to the Relay for Life scene (I think we can all go one day without hitting the bars lol). If they were targeting a more adult audience, then they should probably move it to a Saturday morning. It all depends on who you are trying to get involved. I think it's a worthwhile concern to not just think about when is convenient for the organization, but when your target demographic has the most time. Let's go, future non-profit leaders!
ReplyDeleteI think events like Relay for Life are great. I too had only a vague awareness of what exactly went on, like Michelle, Jelissa, and Emma, and I'm really glad I know more now. Cancer touches all of us, and Relay for Life is a way to not only celebrate the ones we lost and the ones who survived through donating to research but by making it more personal than just writing a check.
ReplyDeleteAll this talk of Relay for Life makes me think of a similar but much less known event: the Out of Darkness walk, which raises awareness and funding "to benefit survivor programming in the Southern Tier, as well as programming to help remove the stigma of mental health and help provide programs for those struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression," as stated on the B-Line page. One of my friends, is participating in honor of a friend she lost, and her involvement got me interested. While Relay for Life is a great charity event, I think it's a;so important to remember other equally-worthy, similar walk-a-thons such as Out of Darkness.
Visit the B-Line page: http://b-line.binghamton.edu/events/5987
Hi Shriman,
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing about Relay for Life. I might be a little bit biased, as someone who works directly with children who are diagnosed with cancer, and as someone who has attended Relay for Life events before in the past. Even today, four years after my first Relay for Life event, it remains one of the most heart warming and touching fundraisers I have ever attended.
In high school, during my sophomore year, we held a Relay for Life event. It was so beautiful. Prior to attending that event, I had not fully grasped how much cancer affects people in my own community. Tears were shed, hands were held, and hugs were given all around. They lit up candles on the bleachers, writing out "HOPE".
Shriman, I know that you are currently the leader for our Relay for Life team, and since it's a competition I'm going to beat you (just kidding...). But seriously, thank you for being so involved and advocating on behalf of our team. It seriously makes all of the difference.
Eliza, I definitely agree with you that Binghamton needs to become more involved with our community directly. We discuss this all of the time in class. Especially when it comes to mental health awareness. For college students, a population that deals with mental health issues at high levels, we rarely ever talk about it. Maybe that's because of the stigma, I don't know. But if we want to make that change we need to start already! We should do something, and Out of the Darkness sounds like a great start.
I once read a book called the Emperor of all Maladies (I definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in science). It was the history of cancer, dating back as far as it was discovered. The book describes Little Jimmy, a boy diagnosed with leukemia who became a pop culture symbol. Little Jimmy appealed to everyone; he was adorable. Funds poured in from across the country and into the hands of researchers, who used that money to develop the lifesaving cures we see today. Over 80% of childhood cancer patients survive. That number used to be less than 30%.
I would like to say that we can apply that same model to mental health issues, but it would be difficult. Mental health can be ugly. Not ugly in the aesthetically pleasing sense, but ugly in the way that it makes people uncomfortable because they have difficulty understanding and relating to it. I don't know if they'd be able to find a Little Jimmy- maybe. That's not to say we shouldn't try. We need to start making the changes required to make a societal shift. Out of the Darkness would be a great start.