Almost 400 participants and 61 teams raised $34,000 at this year’s Relay for Life.
“The event this past weekend went great,” said Relay for Life Team Development and Logistics chair Kathryn Pollard. “We had 61 teams total, a dramatic increase from previous years. We also had more registered survivors this year than in past years. We had a great turnout, and all of our participants were very active throughout the 12 hour event.”
President of Colleges Against Cancer and Relay for Life co-chair Lauryn Landacre said Relay has been working on increasing attendance at the event every year.
“In 2010, we had 300 participants and 39 teams. This year there were 384 participants and 61 teams,” she said. “We are working on increasing our event yearly now. We have seen immense growth in the past two years. In 2010 we were honored at the Illinois State Summit as the number one event in the entire state with the highest growth in six categories.”
Relay’s growth is largely due to hard work done by the committee, Vice President of Colleges Against Cancer and Relay for Life co-chair Katie Casey said.
“In terms of last year, we definitely grew in numbers,” she said. “This is due in large part to our committee. They work hard all year round and nothing would have been possible without them. We were much more happy with the event this year.”
All the money raised at the event goes straight to charity, Pollard said.
“Overall this year we raised $33,899 during the event, and that all goes directly to the American Cancer Society,” she said. “Donations are still being collected online.”
To keep participants entertained at the event, Relay provided Hollywood themed entertainment, Landacre said.
“We had everything from a drag competition to an egg race to bad one hit wonders,” she said. “The events kept participants awake and energetic all night.”
Casey said participants had a great time at the event.
“All of the participants seemed to be genuinely having a good time,” she said. “Relay for Life is such a great cause, and everyone having a great time and really enjoying themselves is just a huge added bonus.”
Senior social work major Annie Azriel said she thought the event went well.
“On the day of the event, I believe we raised $33,900,” she said. “The event was definitely great. It seemed like there were more people there then any other year that signed up for Relay.”