Austin Peay State University held their inaugural Relay for Life event on Saturday, April 29th, 2017 at Fortera Stadium. Relay for Life is the largest national fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. ACS does so much more for cancer patients than just funding research, although they do that as well. ACS provides transportation for patients to and from treatment, lodging for patients and their families at Hope Lodges, and an endless amount of information for patients who have been diagnosed through their Cancer Helpline. The event has been in the works since early February 2017 and was initially started by Colin Crist and Bennett Evans, students at Austin Peay State University. The student organization grew and was comprised of 16 students who helped with the planning and execution of the event.
The event included three ceremonies, starting with the opening ceremony at 7:00 p.m. with 19 teams and over 100 participants attending. Kicking off the event was a "victory lap" where survivors and caregivers walked together to celebrate their victory against cancer. Something this event was very successful at is honoring every moment of a cancer patient's battle with this disease. The event its self is organized to symbolize a cancer patient's journey.
The second ceremony was the luminaria ceremony at 9:30 p.m. At this time, all the lights were turned off at the stadium and the only light was the glow of luminaria bags surrounding the track and spelling out "HOPE" in the bleachers. This ceremony is a time for participants to remember their loved ones who have lost their battle with cancer. Over 50 luminaria bags were sold in honor or memory of loved ones. President of the organization, Colin Crist, stated: "Our Event Chair, Rebekah DeBuse, coordinated a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to those affected by cancer where hope cast a light throughout the darkness." Included in this ceremony was a "silent" lap were all of the participants made a lap around the track in darkness while Spoken Peayce read some beautiful poetry.
Throughout the night, various students and performers played music and entertained the participants. Crist commented that "the activities, food, and live music were a blast for everyone involved." The organization planned various activities for participants to enjoy, ranging from puppies to cuddle with to team building activities donated from ROTC. One thing is for sure, there was never a dull moment at Relay for Life.
During the closing ceremony at 11:30 p.m., a survivor shared her story with genetic testing, urging the participants to pursue testing if they thought they might have a predisposition. Genetic testing can be the difference between life or death for some patients. In the end, the executive team gave out three awards to teams:
Top Fundraising Team: Psi Chi
Team with the Most Participants: Chi Omega
Most Creative Onsite: Phi Gamma Delta – Tie Dye
In the end, Crist continues, "Relay for Life turned out to be an incredibly inspiring event." Austin Peay was able to raise over $5,000 for the American Cancer Society and that is amazing considering it is the first time having a Relay for Life held on campus. Sophomore Erin Hudson explained, "I am so excited to be a part of this for years to come. There were several people that reached out to me asking 'How can I get involved? How can I do more next year?' To me, that marks such a great success. We can only go up from here!" Already the organization is looking up, having already started accepting applications for the Leadership Committee for next year. Look on the Facebook page for the link to apply if you are interested. In conclusion, Crist was "hugely appreciative of everyone who came out to support us, and [he] can't wait for Relay for Life next year!"
