Although Friday's All-University Relay for Life included various Boston-area colleges, Boston College's participation far surpassed that of all other schools, with the Gordon Track at Harvard University awash in the bright gold of Superfan shirts.
BC typically sends the most students to event, and this year was no different. With 450 members and a total donation above $56,053.73 in name of the University, BC was the number-one organization. In second place was Harvard, which raised $42,358 and sent 269 members to the Relay. In total, the event raised $153,000 for the American Cancer Society with approximately 1,200 students present.
The powerful event took place from April 20 to 21 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Though fundraising for the event occurs months in advance, the actual Relay is an opportunity for fundraisers to unite and walk in support of the fight against cancer.
The Relay officially began with a survivor's lap, in which cancer survivors, those still fighting the disease, and their loved ones walked the track while all other participants lined the sides and cheered them on.
Small bags decorated to honor and remember cancer survivors and victims, called "Luminaries," lined the track. While the names of those honored at the event scrolled across a screen, the luminaries were lit with purple glow sticks (purple representing the official color of hope and the Relay).
Before the silent lap to honor those whose names were displayed, people were called out onto the track in relation to how they were affected by cancer, be it a parent, sibling, grandparent, relative, or friend. Nearly every person was on the track before it was announced that those who simply knew of someone with cancer were called out and everyone stepped onto the track.
"Unfortunately, cancer touches so many people, whether you are a survivor, caregiver, family member, or a friend. Participating in Relay makes you feel like you are doing what you can to help, and that is really important, especially for those people who feel like there is nothing they can do to make things better," said Jennifer Bickford, Relay co-chair and CSON '08.
Although the track was filled with walkers throughout the event, there were plenty of other activities to keep participants entertained. There was a 256-slot root beer beirut tournament, a Miss Relay pageant in which males dressed as females, a Halo competition, and a giant game of Twister. There were also theme laps, such as the piggyback lap, the leapfrog lap, and a backwards lap. Movies played in the early morning hours.
"This year, in light of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, we needed this message of 'hope' to come through more than ever. In place of our usual 'school pride lap,' where the track is normally filled with Superfan shirts and chants of 'We are ... BC!' we instead walked the lap silently, remembering in our thoughts and prayers the friends, families and victims of the shootings.
"It was a powerful moment of unity, as students from BC, Harvard, BU, Northeastern, MIT, and many others walked side by side, united in respect and prayer," said Bickford.
Despite the varying school sweatshirts, there was no competition as Boston universities gathered to honor their loved ones affected by cancer and fight back against the disease.
In 2007 there will be over 5,000 Relays held in the United States. In New England alone, there are 206 occurring. There are also international Relays in countries such as Canada, Ireland, France, and Australia.
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