Light the Night Walk is an event put on every year by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at FSU. The sorority partners up with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for a night of remembrance and hope, and all of the proceeds go to support the charity. The walk that is put on by the partnership between these two organizations is an important fundraiser that helps fund blood cancer research and support for people currently battling cancer.
One of the most impressive aspects of this event is that the Florida State University chapter of Light the Night is the only fully student run chapter of Light the Night in the entire nation. Students who are part of the organization have the responsibility of putting together the whole event from start to finish. However, other student groups can become involved with the event too, as well as other businesses in the community who give part of their proceeds to the philanthropy. There were also other sororities present at the event besides Alpha Gamma Delta, who showed their support by having their own tables set up to raise money. These women reached out to their fellow ‘sisters’ and friends from FSU and around Florida to help make Light the Night a success.
There were many activities going on at Light the Night in the time leading up to the walk. These festivities included a performance by one of FSU’s dance troupes, a bounce house, games, a DJ, and that’s just to name a few. The list goes on to include some of the performers from Powwow as well! Despite everything else that was going on, the main event was the walk itself. When it was time to finally begin the walk, groups of students held a balloon of one of three colors: white, red, and gold. The white balloons signified that they were survivors; red balloons showed that they were supporters, and gold balloons were carried by those walking in memory of a loved one lost to cancer. All of these people and colors came together at once and made for a beautiful and meaningful event filled with the hope of finding a cure. Cancer touches all of us in some way, and it’s by partaking in events such as these that we do our part in helping those afflicted with the disease, and to save future lives as well.
However, this event is not all fun and games. This year there were two honorary guests at Light the Night who were recently diagnosed with blood cancer. They are brothers of Theta Chi fraternity and spoke about what they were going through and their experiences so far, and provided listeners a glimpse of the fight they must put up. Stories such as these are what connect everyone to the fight against cancer. They seek to tell us why we need to volunteer at these events and why our support is so important. If we all seek to better the lives of those around us, even if it’s just by going to events like Light the Night to show support, we can eventually rid the world of cancer and help make the world a happier and more hopeful place.