Relay For Life - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

fundraising

Fundraising

Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...

event of the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...

. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace

Cyberspace

Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...

. Although the main objective of Relay is to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients, the event is held to spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors, remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the fight against cancer. It is estimated that Relay For Life events have raised over $3 billion to date. The first team to raise over $1 million is the Rosebud Miners, and the largest per capita fundraiser for a college or university is Loyola University Maryland. The largest virtual fundraising event is Relay For Life of Second Life, which has risen approximately $1,200,000 since 2004, including a record $373,098 in 2011.

Origin

In May 1985, Dr. Gordon Klatt, a colorectal surgeon from Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

, decided he wanted to raise money for the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

in honor of his patients. For 24 hours, Klatt walked around the track at Baker Stadium

Baker Stadium

Baker Stadium and Peyton Field is a 3,500-seat stadium located on the campus of the University of Puget Sound in the North End of Tacoma, Washington....

at the University of Puget Sound

University of Puget Sound

The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...

in Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma, Washington

. Throughout the night, friends paid $25 to run or walk 30 minutes with him. He walked approximately 83 miles and raised $27,000 to fight cancer. Nearly 300 of Klatt's friends, family, and patients watched as he ran and walked the course. After this successful event, Klatt thought about how other people could partake in a similar 24-hour event in communities across the country. He recruited a small team of people and put on the first Relay For Life event in 1986.

Since then, Relay has developed into an overnight event where people bring tents and sleep out around the tracks. People of all ages come out to bring the community together and reminisce about their loved ones who have died of cancer and honor those who have survived while raising money to fight for a cure. Now, almost 4 million people take part in Relay events in over 5,000 communities in the United States.

Features

Although all Relays vary, there are a few common features:

Most tend to go overnight since cancer never sleeps.
Most events last 24 hours.
Most participants are a part of a team, consisting of approximately 8-15 people.
A Survivor Dinner.
A Survivor Lap, which starts the Relay event.
An Opening Lap, in which all the teams take a lap around the track carrying banners.
A Luminaria Ceremony, usually with a candlelight vigil to honor those who lost their lives to cancer.
A Closing Ceremony, including a final lap around the track in which everyone takes part. Awards are given to teams for various achievements, such as most laps walked and most money raised.
A "Fight Back" Ceremony, in which participants pledge to fight back against cancer in a number of ways. Nowadays, the “Fight Back” Ceremony is often the Closing Ceremony.

Survivor Lap and Survivor Dinner

Survivors are a large part of the Relay community. It is important to honor those who have won their battle against cancer. At most Relay events, a Survivor Dinner is held for survivors in the community to come together and share their experiences with cancer. It is an opportunity for participants to reach out and connect with survivors. The Survivor Lap, which often signifies the start of Relay, is again used to distinguish the survivors and celebrate their victory. Sometimes survivors are invited to speak at Relay events to encourage those with cancer to continue fighting and to ensure the community that there is hope when given a diagnosis of cancer. Survivors represent the fact that cancer can be overcome.

In some cases, a cancer survivor or someone diagnosed with cancer cannot physically attend the event. In an effort to solve this conflict, ACS has implemented the concept of the Virtual Survivor. A Virtual Survivor is someone that has been diagnosed with cancer but, due to distance, time, illness and so on, he or she cannot attend a Relay event. An individual, usually a family member, will represent the virtual survivor and honor them by walking in the Survivor Lap. The individual may create a poster, photo collage or T-shirt, to give tribute to the survivor at the Relay event.

Luminaria Ceremony

Relay For Life’s slogan is “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.” The Luminaria Ceremony is targeted toward “Remember.” During this time, participants are asked to gather and remember those who have fallen victim to cancer. Luminaria bags are often decorated by participants, honoring a loved one who has passed or is fighting the disease. These bags are often placed around the track and candles inside the bags are lit before the start of the Luminaria Ceremony. Usually, the luminaria are used to spell out words such as HOPE and CURE, and the words illuminate during the ceremony. Some participants or guest speakers are invited to share their stories, and each participant is given a candle to light in remembrance of a loved one. Following the Luminaria Ceremony, it is suggested that participants walk a lap around the track in silence to give respect to those who have fallen ill with cancer or to those whose lives were lost. At some Relay events, pictures of cancer patients are shown and "Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...

" is performed.

Fight Back Ceremony

The Fight Back Ceremony, often held toward the end of Relay events, is when participants pledge to take action and spread awareness of cancer research, treatments, and prevention. Participants are encouraged to hold events in the community to help others quit smoking, push citizens to have routine screenings, educate about cancer in minorities, and to volunteer their time to the American Cancer Society. A representative from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is a nonprofit, nonpartisan sister organization to the American Cancer Society...

(ACS CAN) may come to a Relay event and speak about cancer prevention bills and legislation that are trying to be passed. The Fight Back Ceremony urges participants to register for ACS CAN and set up a CAN page. ACS CAN has been successful in passing Michelle’s Law (named after Michelle Morse

Michelle Morse

Michelle Morse was an advocate for student health rights. A new federal law passed in 2008 is named for her to acknowledge her efforts to ensure that college students did not lose their access to health insurance when taking a leave of absence for a serious illness.Ms...

) and is a proud supporter of birthdays.

Relay in the community

Relay For Life is a volunteer-run event. Citizens work alongside of their local American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

office to put on a Relay event. American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

staff partners educate the community on how to establish a Relay event and about the various activities and events that are held during Relay. Staff partners may give fundraising tips and help publicize the event.

People interested in becoming part of Relay can contact the local American Cancer Society office. If there is not a Relay event in the area, one may decide to recruit participants and work with the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

staff partners to establish a Relay event. If a Relay event is present in a community, an individual may go to Relay’s website: Each Relay event has its own webpage.

Each year, Relay For Life posts the top-earned college and community online fundraising communities. In 2009, Relay For Life of Virginia Tech was the university that raised the most money online, Carl Sandburg High School

Carl Sandburg High School

Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and 131st Street in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of Consolidated High School District 230, which also...

in Orland Park, IL was the highest grossing all-youth high school event in the nation with just over $357,000, along with the top online fundraising community, Relay For Life of Gwinnett.

Relay in colleges

Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) was established to unite students, faculty, and university staff in the fight against cancer. Generally, CAC is the organization that runs the Relay For Life event on college campuses. Each year, Intercollegiate Summits are held for students to share their fundraising and advocacy ideas, and to help students be successful in running a Relay event.

At some universities, there is a board of students who run the Relay event. Board positions can include:

A Recruitment Chair, who encourages students to join the Relay event and form Relay teams.
A Public Relations Chair, who spreads word about the involvement of CAC and the American Cancer Society in the college community. The Public Relations chair can be responsible for advertising fundraising events as well.
A Survivorship Chair, who reaches out to communities surrounding the university in search of cancer support groups and cancer patients and survivors. The Survivorship chair will work with the local American Cancer Society to host a Survivor Dinner on the night of Relay.
A Luminaria Chair, who organizes the Luminaria Ceremony.
A Sponsorship Chair, who reaches out to local businesses for making donations.
A Logistics Chair, who organizes the Relay site.
A Fundraising Chair, who runs events prior to Relay to raise money.
An Activities Chair, who organizes various events (other than ceremonies) to take place at Relay.
An Overall Chair, who works closely with the local American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...

Office to ensure the appropriate funding and resources for the Relay event.

Coaches vs. Cancer has been established at universities between the American Cancer Society

American Cancer Society

and National Association of Basketball Coaches

National Association of Basketball Coaches

The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...

Funds

Money raised through Relay For Life goes to:

Research grants and research programs
Prevention programs
Community/patient support programs
Detection and treatment programs
Management
Fundraising
Construction of Hope Lodges

Relay For Life International

The following countries hold Relay For Life events: Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

, Honduras

Honduras

Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

, Malaysia, Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and Zambia

Zambia

Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....

External links

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