April 2007

ALUMNI NEWS

Relay for Life's 2006 Luminaria Ceremony in front of Kay Spiritual Life Center.    photo by Ema Gantcheva

Annual Relay for Life Returning to AU

Hundred of thousands of people participate nationwide every year. Some walk for a parent. Some do it for friends. Others walk in support of everyone who has had to fight cancer. On April 13, hundreds of AU and George Washington University students will participate in the annual Relay for Life in Bender Arena, starting at 7 p.m.

For the fourth year in a row, AU is teaming up with GW to host the American Cancer Society-sponsored event. Cancer survivors will kick off the Relay for Life with a "survivors’ lap" in honor of their fight against the disease and for others like them who are now cancer free. During the 12-hour overnight relay, individuals from registered teams will circle the inside of Bender Arena walk-a-thon-style as part of their fund-raising pledge. The money raised by each individual will fund research to prevent, detect, and treat cancer.

“It was astonishing to see how many friends on campus have been affected by cancer in some way,” says Maia Gantcheva, SOC/BS ’06, who participated in the relay for the first time her senior year. “Among all the events, the emotional Luminaria Ceremony was the highlight of the night. It was a memorable and bonding experience which I would love to be apart of again.”

The Luminaria Ceremony is an integral part of the relay that will light up the amphitheatre with candlelight from sand-filled paper bags. The bags, known as luminarias, represent a person—a cancer survivor or someone lost to cancer. Through a contribution, Relay participants (and nonparticipants) are able to donate these purple or white bags either “In Memory of” or “In Honor of” someone affected by cancer.

At last year’s relay, the luminarias lined the steps of Kay Spiritual Center, glowing in the nighttime air as music played softly in the background. Students held each other in tears as they remembered those whom the luminarias represented.

“The Luminaria Ceremony is one of my favorite parts of relay because it’s a powerful experience that shows how many of the universities’ students are affected by cancer,” says Bethany Corey, CAS senior and chair of the relay. “The relay really brings everyone together because all these people you know are there and they all know someone who is battling cancer or has died from it.”

A 2006 relay team circling the quad.    photo by Ema Gantcheva

Corey says she relays for her family, especially her younger cousin who lost her father after his four-year battle with leukemia. Now, many of Corey’s family members join her at AU’s relay to support the fight against cancer. “It's always very special to me that so much of my family comes down for the event.”

Relay committee members have a full schedule of activities planned throughout the event that include midnight madness games; a karaoke competition of ‘Relay Idol’; morning yoga; a performance by AU’s all-male a cappella group, On a Sensual Note; and two acoustic performances—a solo singer/guitarist and a group of vocalists with instruments—by AU and GW students.

Alumni are encouraged to create their own teams or join an existing one. “The relay brings together many different groups to campus, and represents a place where all groups are accepted,” says Corey. “It’s a great event for alumni to participate in because it’s on campus and the proceeds go to a good cause.”

If you’re a cancer survivor, you’re welcome to participate in the opening Survivors’ Lap. You can even volunteer to help at the relay. Or, if you’re miles away from your alma mater, you can still become a corporate sponsor, buy a luminaria, or make a monetary contribution to the Relay for Life.

For more information about ways to get involved, contact Bethany Corey.

-Tara Shlimowitz ‘08

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