For those of you who are not familiar, Relay For Life is a charity event held at Fairfield every year that raises money to donate to the American Cancer Society. Brian Alexander (far right), class of 2015, says the event was founded in 1986 by Gordy Klatt, a doctor who wanted to do something in honor of his cancer patients. It has since spread to almost every college campus and community in the country, and many more across the world. Relay For Life celebrates survivors, remember those who they have lost to cancer, and fight back against the disease. The event lasts for 12 hours overnight to symbolize a cancer patient’s journey. The endurance and the fight to stay up all night symbolize the fight a patient must endure, getting harder and harder as it progresses. There is also hope at the end of it all, and that is celebrated at the end of the night.
In order to produce such a wonderful event, Brian Alexander has a big say. He is one of the Event Chairs, which means that he is responsible for putting together the entire event. As Event Chair, Brian coordinates everything from entertainment, activities, team development, ceremonies and much more. He oversees the tasks handled by 12 other chairs, as well as a committee of close to 50 others.
In addition to planning and supervising this event, Brian is also in charge of many smaller fundraisers and activities leading up to Relay For Life, including their Kickoff and Paint Campus Purple Week. The Kickoff is the official start to the Relay season, and will be held this Wednesday, November 5th at 7pm in the LLBCC.
Brian has been an active member in the Relay For Life team since his freshman year, when he acted as team development chair and lead the team to raise around $28,000. “I’m happy to say that the following year was my first year as Event Chair, and we close to doubled that amount and raised $50,000!” Last year, with the help of over 600 participants, their team topped their goal by more than $12,000 and raised over $63,000 for the American Cancer Society. This year, they are hoping to reach over $65,000 with a base of 600 people, which will be an attainable goal with the help of all of the students, faculty and staff here at Fairfield!
Recently, the Fairfield Relay For Life team traveled to Marlboro, Massachusetts to accept an award at the Relay For Life New England Collegiate Conference for being one of the Top Ten Highest Grossing College Events in New England. Brian expressed their excitement saying, “We were excited and shocked that we received the award, as this was the first time Fairfield has been honored at the conference and we were among the likes of much bigger schools including Boston College and Northeastern University.”
So come out and support Brian Alexander along with the rest of the Fairfield Relay For Life team and participate in this inspiring cause!