"We ended up raising over $35,000," said Courtney Dowd '04, one of the coordinators of the Relay. "Our goal was only $33,000."
All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. This is the second year that the Relay has been sponsored by the five-college community.
Among the five colleges there were approximately 20 teams competing over the course of 18 hours. Members of each team took turns walking around the track at Pratt Field. Participants camped out and took part in various activities while they were not walking.
There was music at the event and a "name that tune" contest. There was also food and drink, much of it donated by local businesses. There was also an exchange, in which speakers shared how cancer touched their lives.
"I started the Relay for Life last year at Amherst because I had lost two grandparents to cancer and wanted to do something productive with my grief," said Courtney Dowd '04, who organized the event.
"The American Cancer Society was excited about the Five-College Relay because not many relays had been done at colleges before," continued Dowd. "Our event is now one of 145 college events. In 2003, $4.5 million were raised through college relays alone."
Many of the participants felt that it was a worthwhile experience. "It was a great experience," said Amanda Muller '04. "I thought that it really brought the community together toward a common goal, something which you don't experience often at Amherst."
Others echoed Muller's sentiments. "It's surreal and cathartic," said Alex Bloom '04, a team leader. "I'm proud of my team because we met our goal. It was also a great leadership experience for me because I [had] never organized something like this before."
"We are participating in this event because it is something we can do to make a difference," said Kevin Daly '05, the captain of the orchestra team, which also included members of the Choral Society and several music professors. "We wanted to make a contribution in a different vein (other than playing music). It's a chance for all of us to come together and have fun for the right reasons."
The top individual fundraiser was Courtney Dowd '04, who raised over $1,500. According to Dowd, the top online fundraising team was the Amherst Assortment, captained by Courtney Knowlton '04 and Lauren Sozio '04. Other top fundraisers included Greta Anderson '05, and five-college students Heather Superson, Rebecca Campbell and Dan Burke.
Sozio, who served as a team recruiter in addition to a team captain, appreciated students' participation in this event. "I think that the middle of the night shifts are the hardest, and those walking in the early morning hours should be given more recognition for their participation," she said. "I became involved in this event shortly after my mother passed away to breast cancer, and was touched by the number of students who, like myself, had been personally affected by this disease," she added.