Relay For Life of Concord University will be hosting a rave on Tuesday, March 1. This the next step for the group’s efforts to not only inform students that the Relay For Life is active on campus, but also to inform people of what exactly Relay For Life is all about.
For those that are unaware, Relay For Life is one of many events sponsored by the American Cancer Society in an effort to raise awareness of cancer as well as raise money for cancer research. According to the event’s official website, Relay For Life is as much about remembrance as it is looking for a cure for a disease that has already claimed too many lives, hence why much of the Relay is all about remembering those that did not survive their battle with cancer with laps dedicated to their memory.
All funds raised by Relay For Life benefit those with cancer. The funds provide help, such as assistance with medications and procedures that can help put cancer in remission. Relay For Life has occurred in more than 5,200 communities across 200 countries, including places as varied as Australia, Canada, Belgium, Guatemala, South Africa, The Philippines, Portugal, and Zambia, and has been able to help 14 million people with their cancer.
With all of these Relays, Relay For Life is able to raise over 400 million dollars a year, and has raised over 5 billion dollars since its start in 1985. Concord University is hoping to add to that.
According to Brittany Strother, Director of Relay For Life of Concord University, students will have the option to come to the event for free and have the chance to win different small prizes, or they can register for Relay For Life to be entered into a raffle to win the grand prize, a $100 Visa gift card.
All the proceeds from this rave will go directly to Concord University’s Relay For Life. “We’re going to have music, food, all kinds of fun stuff for students to do. It’s better than just sitting in your room doing nothing on a Tuesday night.” Strother said.
The idea came to the organization only a few weeks ago, and has been in the works ever since that time. Strother hopes everyone that can show up will show up. “The more people that come, the more fun we can have.”
Any and all donations will be accepted, and everyone will be welcome. “I hope we raise a considerable donation for Relay, but more importantly I hope we can educate the Concord community about Relay and encourage more people to get involved. It’s really a good time as long as people give it a chance!”