Fairfield University to host fourth Annual Relay for Life | Press Releases

Survivors lap will kick off event

On Friday, April 30 at 6 p.m., teams of students, faculty, and staff at Fairfield University will kick off the fourth annual Relay for Life event to raise money for the American Cancer Society with an opening ceremony in the traffic circle in front of the John A. Barone Campus Center. The teams will take turns walking or running for 12 hours throughout the night to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those who have been lost, and pledge to fight back against the disease that never sleeps.

Starting off the event is a survivors' lap in which cancer survivors will be invited to circle the track together to celebrate the victories that have been achieved over cancer. All participants will follow after the lap is complete, rotating throughout the night so that one person from each team is represented on the track at all times until 6 a.m. the next morning. Live entertainment, games, and donated food will be provided throughout the night.

Image: Luminaria Also planned is a Luminaria Ceremony, a silent lap after dark during which participants will honor those touched by cancer by lighting candles inside bags filled with sand that are marked with each individual's name. A Fight Back Ceremony will close the event as team members pledge to fight back against cancer by funding groundbreaking research, working with lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer, and rallying worldwide communities to join the battle.

The co-chairs of the event, Michelle Brennan, a junior who is also president of the student-led group Colleges Against Cancer, and senior David Axelrod, have set a goal to raise $35,000, up from last year's total of over $24,000. As in past years, more than 500 participants are expected to attend the event.

Individuals can join an existing team, form a new one, or register for the survivor lap at relayforlife.org/fairfieldu . The registration/commitment fee is $10. Participants who wish to do so may also donate through individual, team, or online fundraising.

By Traci Dantoni, Class of 2010