Thousands gathered at the Anderson Track and Field Complex Friday evening to beat the hell out of cancer at the third annual Aggie Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
The event, which included games, contests and food, was from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday and raised more than $140,000 through the help of 158 relay teams.
Participants, ranging from Texas A&M students, family members, faculty and alumni, displayed diverse motivations for the volunteer effort, with many responding to first-hand experiences with the illness.
Jenny Schaible, a sophomore sociology major, participated for her second time, acting with a heightened passion after losing a loved one to the disease.
“My dad passed away on Oct. 13, 2007, from melanoma, so it made it all the more important to me to raise money and participate in the relay, could have ever asked for or imagined. They walked alongside me all night long.”
Though she took the title of top individual earner this year, collecting more than $3,900 for the cause, Schaible emphasized the importance of the event beyond its fundraising abilities.
“Relay for Life isn’t just a way to raise money and awareness for the impact it has on so many lives, but it’s a place that shares some kind of energy that we’ve never felt before,” she said. “It’s a place where people gather together to remember and support those they’ve known, or know, with cancer. It’s a great cause and a great time.”
For students responsible for coordinating the event, the final figures represent the culmination of countless efforts and tasks involved in the planning process.
“Relay for Life has been a lot of hard work, but at the same time it has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences of my life,” said Ashley Young, a junior psychology major and codirector of recruitment. “When 2,000-plus Aggies pack Anderson Track and Field Complex with the hopes of eliminating the words ‘You have cancer,’ it’s a sight to behold.”
In fact, Relay for Life has been a sight to behold since its inception in May 1985, when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a Washington surgeon, ran a 24-hour, 83-mile marathon to raise money in support of his patients who had been affected by cancer.
By selling blocks of time in which supporters could walk or run with him, he earned $27,000 that night.
Klatt and Pat Flynn, a fellow cancer survivor known as the “Mother of Relay,” formed a committee, and in 1986 had the first relay at Tacoma’s Historic Stadium Bowl.
More than 20 years later, the relay annually attracts more than 3.5 million participants in 23 countries, and has raised more than $1.5 billion for the American Cancer Society.
To date, the Aggie Relay for Life has brought in more than $280,000 for cancer research, and Young said it has further united the A&M community.
“It’s a time when Aggies from all walks come together to celebrate and remember those we loved that have battled cancer,” Young said. “This is just one more developing A&M Tradition that brings the Aggie family closer together in support of one another.”