I am the co-executive director for the Relay for Life committee at Salisbury University. For those who do not know, Relay for Life is the biggest fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The money that is raised throughout the night and the year for a specific Relay for Life not only goes to cancer research but also many programs for current cancer patients. These programs include: the Road to Recovery, which provides rides to cancer treatments for cancer patients from volunteers, the Hope lodge, which is a place where a cancer patient and a caregiver can stay for free while receiving their treatments, Look Good Feel Better, which is a support group for women who have or have had breast cancer and a way for them to feel confident in their bodies. Another program is the support line which is a phone service for those who are going through treatment and for caregivers to call to talk about what they are going through. No, your money will not go to research only, but that is because we cannot only focus on the future of cancer and it's eventual end. We have to put money and time into those who presently have cancer and those who have finished their battle.

I have a small history with cancer, which I know is a blessing, but that does not stop me from fighting with all of my heart! I never want to hear a doctor tell me that I have cancer or tell any of my children they have cancer or for any of my friends to have to fight this long, hard battle. No one deserves these diseases, no one needs to have a loved one go through this. It does not only affect those diagnosed it affects all of those around you! I relay for this reason!

The Relay for Life at Salisbury has been ranked in the top 25 of the nation for the past couple of years. The amount of support the campus shows is amazing! College students do not have money. They have classes to worry about and parties to go to. But on the night of Relay, that is all put aside for one common goal, to bring an end to cancer! Over the past 15 years since Relay has been on campus, we have raised well over $1 million; this money is not only for research but for those programs that I mentioned earlier. Last year alone SU raised over $124,000.

Being a part of Relay for Life has allowed me to not only help those in need, but it has helped me along the way. Relay for Life has provided me with friends that I will have for a lifetime. I have been able to discover what I want to do when I graduate; I hope to work for a non-profit such as the American Cancer Society. Helping organize the Relay for Life has provided me with the skills and knowledge about putting together an event that has over a thousand participants every year. Relay is not something I do in my spare time, Relay is my life, and I would not have it any other way!