Relay For Life Raves for a Cure

Cancer is a silent killer. In the blink of an eye, a life can be forever altered or cut down due to its insidious nature. Of all of the things on this earth, it is one of the few things that does not judge. White, Black, Latino, gay, straight, it does not matter. Cancer will take a person just as they are. There are many groups of people that wish to give the sufferers of this disease a chance at life and a possibility of a cure. One such organization is the American Cancer Society. Founded in 1913, the American Cancer Society is committed to not only finding a cure for cancer, but to also fund cancer research. One of the ways that they do this is an event called Relay For Life. During this event, people walk to raise money for cancer patients and to seek a cure. It is as much about the future as it is about remembrance. It has been several years since Concord University has had a Relay For Life. That however, is about to change.

    On Thursday, April 14, Concord University will be hosting a Relay For Life from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m in the Carter Center Gymnasium. All proceeds donated in order to participate in Relay For Life and for generosity’s sake will go directly to the American Cancer Society. At the time of this writing, according to the Relay’s Concord Page, 10 teams of 50 participants have raised almost 3,000 dollars for cancer research. However, to get the word out, as well as to have some fun, the organization decided that there was much more that they could do. 

    On Tuesday, March 4, Concord University’s Relay For Life organization hosted a rave in order to raise money for its event. The rave lasted from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. A live DJ played, and there was food and T-shirts that could be purchased, alongside free popcorn and drinks. The trappings of a rave, such as glow-sticks were also sold. Those in attendance seemed to be in good spirits, as the cause was worthy. Students could request songs for the DJ to play, and several got up to do group dances. Chief among these were “The Cha Cha Slide Part Two” and “The Cupid Shuffle.” The music choices were fun and upbeat, and those in attendance seemed to have a good time. On top of all of this, every 15 minutes for the two hours that the rave occurred, prizes were given out. Attendees were given tickets with numbers on them, and as a result, everyone had a chance to win. Prizes included Concord University merchandise, with the grand prize being a 100 dollar Visa gift card. The winner of the 100 dollar gift card was Haley McCord, who had also won one of the 15 minute prizes.

    Altogether, the Relay For Life Rave earned about 150 dollars from students and participants. As previously mentioned, all proceeds will go directly to the American Cancer Society. Though the Relay for Life is not for another month, there is still time to join and create a team to participate in the event. In order to sign up, one need only go to Concord University’s Relay for Life page and follow the instructions there or one may also contact Lindsey Akers. She may be reached via her email: lakers@concord.edu, or by phone at (304) 384-5302.