Name: Kayla Braden
Year: Junior
Hometown: Clearwater, FL
Major: Elementary Education with a minor in Social Work
Involvement: Activities chairman for Alpha Omicron Pi, Member of the Ignite Party, 2014 Panhellenic Recruitment Counselor, Phi Eta Sigma, Relay for Life Executive board member as VP of Revenue.
Kayla is the one in the tutu on the right!
Her Campus (HC): Will you tell me a little more about your position with Relay for Life?
Kayla Braden (KB): Relay for Life is a yearlong event through the American Cancer Society that raises money to fund cancer research. All year there are fundraising challenges and events leading up to the 18-hour Relay located at the main campus fields, there’s always music and games and fun things going on all night. As the VP of Revenue I oversee and work with many other positions to get the bigger pieces of Relay funded through SGA or through donations. We create fundraising challenges and do community outreach for donations and sponsorships to fund the event, and I collaborate with the other VPs and the president to make sure that everything is running smoothly.
HC: How much of a time commitment is this?
KB: We meet once a week as an executive board and then the VPs meet once/twice a week in addition to this. We are almost always in constant communication, and as the event approaches the meetings ramp up a lot. The week before Relay is called Paint the Campus Purple and we see each other every single day. ON the actual day of Relay for Life we get there at 7am (about 8 hours before the opening lap) and then we leave when everything is broken down—however long that takes.
HC: What drew you to Relay for Life? Why this organization?
KB: I don’t even have a big story, I just started it in HS [high school] and I just wanted to be involved in an organization in which everyone works together for a common goal—seeing the beginning and the end and every bump in between. My freshman year I was a Fundraising chair and last year I was the Executive Assistant. I relay not for one specific person, but for all my friends and everyone on the E-board who do relay for that one person, I relay for them.
HC: So how can I get involved when is it?
KB: Relay for Life will take place on April 10 and 11. You can sign up at www.relayforlife.org/fsufl it’s only $10 to register and you show up at the event and have a good time! We have special events prior to Relay for Life like Bra Crawl at Pots in October, November we are having a Sunday Brunch at Madison Social, normally one big event every month. You can get more involved by being a team captain for your organization/group, and after Relay, be on the lookout for applications for the committees, chair positions, or VPs of Relay for Life. FSU Relay is the number one collegiate Relay event in Florida and the number 5 collegiate event in US. Last year we raised $225,000 so it’s an incredible organization to join.
HC: What has been the best/most rewarding part of your involvement in Relay for Life with the American Cancer Society?
KB: The best part is watching the survivor lap that happens at the beginning of every Relay and seeing how appreciative the survivors are of all the hard work we have put into the event. It’s amazing to make connections with the survivors and hear their stories. Also shout out to the E-board, I love you all!