Last weekend, Marvel’s Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier hit the big screen, featuring superheroes battling adversity with Cleveland as their backdrop. This weekend, the ϳԹ community can see real-life heroes: those battling cancer, supporting their loved ones in their fight against cancer and who lost their battles.
Taking place April 12-13 at Coach Bill Sudeck Track in North Residential Village, Relay For Life is a 15-hour fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The theme for this year’s event is “Superheroes.”
This year, the organization expanded with the help of the American Cancer Society’s Colleges Against Cancer. The ϳԹ student chapter—newly formed at the end of the 2013 spring semester—strives to promote advocacy, cancer education, survivorship and Relay For Life all year long in order to reach a vast audience.
"Relay For Life has become a campus tradition at ϳԹ where students, faculty, staff and the community comes together to celebrate survivors, remember those we've lost and fight back against cancer,” said Relay For Life co-chair Alissa Prior.
The opening ceremony will kick off at noon with remarks from President Barbara R. Snyder, Provost W.A. "Bud" Baeslack III and Vice President of Student Affairs Lou Stark.
After the opening ceremony, individuals will walk laps around the track for 15 hours. Participants even can take part in “themed laps,” such as Superhero, Piggy Back, a three-legged race and more. The first themed lap of the event will be a “Survivor Lap” for cancer survivors or their virtual representatives. Later in the night, there will be a luminaria ceremony, during which members of the campus community can remember loved ones lost to cancer by dedicating a luminaria bag.
When they’re not walking, participants and supporters alike can take part in competitions and events. The schedule includes: