"This is the first year Amherst has hosted the relay although it has been sponsored in various towns throughout the U.S. for quite awhile," said co-organizer Lauren Sozio '04. "It is affiliated with the American Cancer Society (ACS). There are over 10 teams from Amherst involved, each with eight to 15 people and about five UMass teams."
"The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported and that one day cancer will be eliminated," said the event's primary organizer Courtney Dowd '04.
Students responded supportively when they heard about the event. "A lot of people showed interest and they were really into it once you talked to them," said Tracy Montigny '05, who was the captain of one team.
"We had a goal of 15 teams, and we had a little over 20. We made about $15,000 and are still waiting for some last minute donations to come in," said Dowd.
"Each person is supposed to raise $100, and each team has a $125 registration fee for putting on the event," said team co-captain Katie Duncan '06. "Appleton [Hall] raised $1,957 through a can drive, donations, going door to door in neighborhoods and selling T-shirts and pizza. I think it was a great success."
"Most of the Relays (3,000 worldwide) are held on the first Friday and Saturday after Mother's Day," according to relayforlife.org. They begin at 6 p.m. Friday evening and continue until noon on Saturday.
Reactions to the event seemed to be generally positive, despite the fact that only three teams were able to finish due to the rain that began Friday night and continued throughout Saturday.
"It was a very positive experience to see the college communities of UMass and Amherst come together to make a contribution to the fight against cancer," said Dowd. "Everyone enjoyed themselves and in the process worked hard to raise money so that cancer patients, survivors and their families would be able to breathe a little easier with the help of the wonderful services offered by the American Cancer Society."
"It was an event like none other I had ever experienced at Amherst College. From the speeches to the camaraderie, the walk for life was the perfect tribute for those who have been affected by cancer," said Patrick Kennedy '03. "I only hope Amherst has the foresight to participate in this event next year as well."
"It was an amazing experience," said Bess Kargman '04. "It was great to see people out there for so long and with such energy. I hope that this becomes a tradition."
Students said that they participated in the event for a variety of reasons, but for many of them it was a very personal event.
"I lost two grandparents to cancer in the past eight months. I knew that the Relay For Life was the best way fro me to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, survivors and their families," said Dowd. "So I contacted the American Cancer Society to see if there was a Relay For Life that happened during the school year, but there wasn't one. So I thought it would be a great idea to start the first college relay in western Massachusetts."
"I am working on this project in memory of my mother who died a year and a half ago of breast cancer," said Sozio.
"I'm doing it because my mother died of lung cancer," said Morgan Kinshaw, who is a sophomore at UMass. "This is my second [Relay For Life]. It seems pretty well-organized. It's smaller than the last one I went to."
"I wanted to participate in the relay for a number of reasons. Lauren Sozio and I grew up together and her mother was an amazing woman, as Lauren said-this is in her memory," said Kargman. "Two of my grandparents had cancer, one beat it and the other did not. I do not think that Amherst students do enough community service, myself included, but I'm trying to change that."