2008 Woodie Awards
Despite Weather, Relay For Life A Success
Alissa Letkowski
Issue date: 4/14/08 Section: News
|
"People were in high spirits even with the impending rain," said Erin Toohey, a 4th-semester communications disorders major and media and publicity co-chair. "I think that everybody had a great time and it was nice to see all the people out for such a good cause."
Eighty teams, comprising 794 students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the walk, which took place around the CLAS quad. The participants walked around the "track" beginning Friday night and into Saturday morning to raise money for cancer research and awareness.
The event included an opening procession of cancer survivors around the quad followed by a luminaria ceremony with candles to represent those who have been touched by cancer.
Due to the weather, many of the activities that were scheduled to keep participants entertained throughout the night were cancelled, however, the rain did not put too much of a damper on those who stayed for the event.
"I think it went really well overall," said Sara Muldoon, a 3rd-semester elementary education major. However, "the weather interfered with some things, like how long someone could bear to be out on the track, the condition of the campsites, and the activities that had been planned but had to be cancelled."
Despite the weather, Muldoon enjoyed the experience.
"Camping out with a bunch of your friends is already fun as it is, so when you add in all the music, activities, and the fact that everyone there is working towards the same good cause, it ends up being that much better," she said.
Around 40 students were involved in the planning of Relay for Life. "The event chairs and the Relay for Life committee did the best they could and it was still an amazing experience regardless of the weather," said Lauren Haines, a 2nd-semester nursing major whose team raised $3,597, the highest amount raised by any team in this year's event. Alpha Beta Epsilon, Huskies for Hope, UConn Student Alumni Association and Delta Zeta were also in the top five teams.
Each participant was expected to raise a minimum of $100 in order to help the event reach it's goal of $100,000 over last year's $89,000 raised. This year, $62,733.10 were raised through the Web site alone and it is estimated that this year surpassed last with the total amount raised through the Web site and the volunteers combined.
To donate or learn more, visit the American Cancer Society Web site.
Contact Alissa Letkowski at Alissa.Letkowski@UConn.edu.
Be the first to comment on this story