On Friday May 7, more than 500 Gustavus students, faculty, staff and local community members will gather in Lund Forum in an all-night effort to support the fight against cancer. The ninth annual Gustavus Adolphus College Relay for Life will begin at 7:00 p.m. on May 7 and end on Saturday, May 8 at 7:00 a.m. “The event will run all night long because cancer never sleeps, so we will not sleep,” Sophomore Spanish and History Major Whitney O’Connell said. O’Connell is a Relay for Life co-chair this year.

Participants, mostly organized into teams, will take turns walking around the 200m track as a symbolic gesture for their support of the cause. “This event is for all members of the Gustavus community, even those who weren’t able to fundraise,” Senior Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major and Relay Co-Chair , Haley Prittinen said.

Organized by the Colleges Against Cancer chapter on campus, a division of the American Cancer Society (ACS), Relay has become a signature event at Gustavus. “The event is truly important and goes along well with Gustavus’ traditions and core values,” Cory Kasprzak, senior biochemistry and molecular biology major and Relay co-chair said.

Frequently the most highly-attended event on campus during the year, Relay for Life is an excellent reminder about the local, national and global struggle against the disease. “Cancer is an insidious disease that strikes at random and affects everyone in some way at some time in their lif e… Relay for Life provides an opportunity to fight back,” Associate Professor of Music and Gustavus Choir conductor Dr. Greg Aune said. In 2007 Aune, who shared his story during the 2009 Relay for Life event, was diagnosed with bone cancer and underwent eight months of extensive chemotherapy treatments.

Since its establishment in 1985, Relay for Life has raised more than $3.5 billion to fund cancer research and to support victims of the disease. In 2009, the event at Gustavus raised approximately $44,000 for the cause. Prittinen explained that “we have consistently raised around $50,000 at our Relays, which puts us in the top five per capita nationally for colleges our size.”

According to the ACS’s website, more than 450 colleges and universities nationwide hold Relay for Life events each year via their Colleges Against Cancer chapters.

Senior Nursing Major and Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor Mariah McGill said that “the money raised [via Relay for Life events] is fabulous. If I had been diagnosed five years earlier, I would have had to go through unnecessary surgeries and hurt … but doctors know now exactly how to treat [various types of cancer] because of that research funded partially by Relay.” McGill told her story of survival at the Relay for Life event three years ago.

Events for this year’s Relay will kick off with the Survivor Ceremony/Ceremony of Remembrance, during which all those who have suffered the effects of the disease will be honored. Two survivors will share their stories this year, First-year Matt Collins and Assistant Gustavus Men’s Tennis Coach Steve Wilkinson. “[Collins and Wilkinson] will be followed by a silent lap around the track, in which we remember all those who lost their fight with cancer,” Prittinen said.

Other mainstay events like free massages provided by M-Pact, liquid nitrogen ice cream (Chemistry Club), quesadillas (Spanish Honor Society) and smoothies (Pre-Health Club) will be available. At about 1:30 PJ’s Pizzeria will provide free food. Entertainment will be provided by a number of groups, including the LineUs Comedy Troupe, Keith Linné, the Gustavus Swing Club, a parkour group and Men’s Tennis Head Coach Tommy Valentini.

A couple of new events will also be featured during the night. With the help of the Patrick’s On Third ownership, six Gustavus students will get the chance to take part in the Chuck Norris Challenge on stage for the entertainment of all the Relay participants. Twelve volunteers put their names in to participate, and throughout the past week change donations have been collected in jars in the Campus Center.
“[Whichever contestants] have collected the most money in their jars by Friday will get the chance to participate at Relay,” Kasprzak said. A Nintendo Wii will also be up for grabs as part of a contest that will occur sometime during the event. “If you raise at least $150, you will be eligible to win … or you can buy your way in to the game at Relay,” O’Connell said. Finally, in the morning hours, breakfast will be provided for all participants.

Despite all of the fun events and activities that will be taking place throughout the night, the focus of the event remains centered on the fight against cancer.
“I think that we look at Relay for Life as an ‘event,’ but it really is a cause, a fact people sometimes overlook,” O’Connell said. If you have yet to sign up for the event, there is still time. Registration continues during the day of the event online, or you can simply show up to the event before it begins.

“On behalf of survivors we just want to extend a huge thank you. Maybe you don’t see the effects firsthand, but Relay seriously helps people survive by raising just a little bit of money,” McGill commented.

With such a powerful message, it should come as no surprise why Relay has established itself as a Gustavus tradition. “I felt a wonderful spirit and community in the forum [last year] … and it confirmed my belief that Gustavus students are interested in and willing to assist in supporting a good cause that will benefit all of us,” Aune said.