This year, FIU hosted its annual Relay for Life fundraiser. For those of you who don’t know, Relay for Life is a fundraiser hosted by the American Cancer Society. It celebrates all the survivors, honors all lost loved ones, sends thanks to caregivers, and overall brings the community together for one meaningful night of impact. FIU, as a university, hosts this fundraiser, relying on many community groups to make it happen. I was lucky enough not only to be part of the event, but also the leader of my group. In this article, I will talk about my experience during my first Relay for Life and what it meant to me.
I proudly took on the role of representing my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, in this year’s Relay for Life. While the experience was extremely rewarding, I wouldn’t say it was the easiest. The way it works is you have to create a team. That part wasn’t difficult; it was finding other sisters who also wanted to participate. With only 2 days until the event, I finally had a group of girls come to me and say they’d join. This was a huge relief. My team decided to do a bake sale. We had an array of baked goods, from guava pastelitos, cupcakes, homemade cookies, and more! My team set up our jungle-themed decor, and the event began shortly after.
Our table was near the end of the street, but it was so cool being able to see the crowds of people at every booth ahead of us. We sold out of a lot of our pastries and ended up raising over $500 for cancer research. Although it might not feel like a lot to some of you reading, my team was able to raise that much in 3 days! Some other groups that I saw there included Girl Gains (a girl workout club on campus), the Miami Dade Animal Shelter, FIU Athletics, and a bunch of other Greek life. It was such an incredible experience being able to see so many people from campus, and even the surrounding community, come together for such an important cause. FIU as a whole was able to raise over $45,000 towards cancer research.
The actual event was incredibly touching. It began with a short opening speech about the importance of this event. Then, a lap was taken around the property to honor those who survived. After that was the social, where everyone participating would walk around and support the booths and activities available. Next was the shave-a-thon, where volunteers would cut or shave their hair, donating it to those in need. Listening to why those people cut/shaved their heads was inspiring. After that, there was the Luminaria Ceremony, where hand-decorated lanterns with the names of those who fought against cancer were honored with a moment of silence. Finally, there was the closing ceremony, where the winners and the total amount raised were announced.
Overall, this experience was one I will never forget. To my teammates, whose help with this event is something I will never forget. This event meant a lot to me, and I’m sure it meant a lot to the other people participating. Personally, I took on the role of team captain to honor my dad and other family members with cancer. Cancer is a very touchy subject for a lot of people, and that’s why it’s so important to talk about it and raise awareness. Seeing my college community come together to support this cause is something I will never forget. I cannot wait to be a part of it again next year!
For more information about Relay for Life, please visit Relay For Life | Cancer Charity Walk | American Cancer Society