Celebrating its 25th anniversary as a public event to raise money for cancer research, Relay for Life will begin at 7 p.m. tomorrow on the west-side of the NMSU Horseshoe, and end Saturday at 8 a.m.
Relay for Life is designed to commemorate survivorship and raise funds for the American Cancer Society.
The event was initiated by Dr. Gordy Klatt, who raised more than $27,000 for cancer awareness by walking and running around a university track for 24-hours straight in 1985.
Relay for Life has now turned into a universal event for both individuals and participating teams.
"I feel this year's event is going to be the best yet," said Jordan Hanson, event co-chair for Relay for Life and pre-pharmacy major. "We have a very strong committee and everyone is bringing lots of new ideas to the event, which is giving us a broader range of activities."
Hanson said with the great committee helping her plan the event, fundraising is doing very well in light of the bad economy.
Hanson explained the new location for this year's event provided extra space, which created more options for possible activities during the event, such as capture the flag.
Other activities include: bingo laps, a campsite decorating contest and karaoke.
As for the early morning, jazzercise will be on the agenda to get the day started.
"One big difference for this year is our growth in participants," Hanson said. "Each year, the varieties in our participants help [provide] a new outlook on the event. This year we have a great group of people participating that are here because they want to make a difference and want to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease."
Ashley Redman, Hanson's co-chair and management major, has been participating in Relay for Life for eight years.
"Our committee is pretty energetic about the event," Redman said. "[Everyone] is extremely motivated to get their stuff done for the event."
Hanson, who has been participating in the event for nine years, said during the opening ceremony, survivor Vicente Jaramillo will be speaking.
"[Opening ceremony] is designed to welcome all of the participants to the event and let them know what exactly the event is about," Hanson said.
Participants in the overnight community celebration will also have the chance to participate in a luminaria ceremony and enjoy the music of several bands.
"There will be the survivor/caregiver laps in which all of the participants will cheer on the survivors as they make the first lap around the track," Hanson said. "Throughout the night we will also be having the traditional luminaria ceremony to honor those who have lost their lives to cancer."
Hanson said during the luminaria ceremony there will be several speakers, and then participants will take a lap in silence as a symbol of remembrance.
Redman explained because everyone is affected by cancer, Relay for Life is one way for people to help with the fight against cancer.
"I hope that people come out and participate," Redman said. "We want to fundraise more tha we did last year, which was about $10,000. Our goal for this year is $25,000 because it's the 25th anniversary of Relay for Life."
Claire Cortner, team captain for the College of Health and Social Services and nursing and communications disorders major, said because her group members are health-related majors, fighting cancer by participating in Relay for Life is relatable to them in some way.
"I am very proud of my team," Cortner said. "We have had a few different fundraisers and I am very excited for the Relay event. I am excited to get everyone together, so we can see what our college, as a whole, has done."
Cortner said her team has done many things to raise as much money as they can for Relay.
According to the Relay for Life NMSU section of the American Cancer Society Web site, the College of Health and Social Services team is in second place for most money raised.
Currently in first place is the NMSU Astronomy team.
"Although [Relay for Life] is a fun time to hang out with friends and do a lot of fun activities, we are there because we are raising money for a good cause," Cortner said. "We are honoring those with cancer and those who have passed away with the disease. Cancer affects many people in our country today and I am glad to see that NMSU is doing something to help fight it."
With 16 teams signed up for the event, Hanson said there is a total of 161 participants.
"We are also expecting people to show up to the event having not registered previously," Hanson said. "Anyone is welcome to stop by."
"I am personally very passionate about Relay for Life," Hanson said. "I grew up participating and I was able to see how much hope the event brought into a community and the support that was provided to the survivors. Since then there really has been no looking back."
Registration for Relay for Life will start at 6 p.m. and people can start setting up camp at 5 p.m.
As for participation, people can still register until the day of the event. To register and campaign for a cure, check out cancerevents.org/nmsunm.
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