HC would like to send a huge thank you to collegiette™ Cory Yandell. Cory is the overall chair for the 2011 Relay for Life UTK event. She’s working alongside other students to collect donations to support the American Cancer Society. Cory is working hard to ensure that she does her part at UTK as well as in the fight to find a cure for cancer. If you are interested in participating in the 2011 UTK Relay for Life – and you definitely should be – check out their website or Facebook event for all the information you need. This years theme is “I love the 90s” and there’s going to be some fantastic 90s themed activities. Also make sure you check out the sweatshirt with the awesome throwback design to Nickelodeon.
Describe your position on the Relay for Life board. What is your title and what are your responsibilities?
I am the overall chair of the event for 2011. My responsibilities are mainly managing the committee, running our committee meeting, corresponding with the American Cancer Society and motivating all of our participants to fundraise and promote our event.
What inspired you to take on this position and devote your time to this cause?
I started getting involved with Relay For Life Executive Committee during my sophomore year of college. This position was one that I had thought about, but until last year I wasn’t certain. Once I got to work pretty closely with 2010’s chair, I decided that this was a position that I wanted to take on. The American Cancer Society is such a worthy cause to fight a disease that affects so many people. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, so everyone is touched by it.
Why is it important to you to work for Relay for Life?
In college it is so easy to get involved in social organizations and friends. Working for an organization for a cause so much larger than myself is extremely rewarding. I have had the opportunity to meet many cancer survivors who are so strong and courageous that it is amazing to hear their stories.
Why do you think it’s important that the University of Tennessee support and hold a Relay for Life event? Do you feel like the contributions and the efforts at UTK are helping to make a difference with Cancer research?
For many sororities and fraternities, participating in Relay For Life fulfills a community service requirement. These past years on Executive Committee, we have all worked to make it so much more than just a required activity. Taking a Friday night out of someone’s year to raise money and awareness for this great cause has become something that participants look forward to rather than see as a requirement. Last year, Relay at UTK raised over $60,000 for Cancer research, advocacy programs, education and support. It is truly amazing to see such a large amount of funding come out of the students’ hard work.
How have you and your fellow board members molded fund raising to appeal to college students?
Sometimes it is still hard to convince people to raise their recommended $100, but by talking to team captains and asking them to motivate their team members, huge strides have been made toward participants raising their goals. We recommend asking for spare change outside of sporting events, grocery stores and even in classes and sending out e-mails from our website. One Saturday a group of 5 participants raised $500 at a basketball game in a two hours- so impressive!
What reactions do you get from students on campus about your events or the charity in general?
Relay has become a much more well known event on campus. In 2010 nearly 1,400 participants signed up online. So many students are affected directly by cancer, so when people ask for donations for or participation in the American Cancer Society, these asks really hit home for many.
What has been your favorite part of working with Relay for Life? What has been the most rewarding aspect?
I have really enjoyed being able to meet so many new people. Through team captains, exec. members and other schools’ committees, you find so many people with the same common interest to end the fight against cancer. In February, UT Basketball player Melvin Goins recorded a great Public Service Announcement for our event (on our website www.utrelay.org). We had multiple cancer survivors of various ages all participate in the video. One boy was currently undergoing his treatments and was so excited to meet a real college basketball player. Seeing how Relay affects survivors and those battling cancer has been an incredible experience.
What are your future hopes for Relay for Life UTK?
I hope that Relay continues to grow and flourish on campus! I would love to see the event raise $100,000 in the next few years. It’s a lofty goal, but with enough support, there’s no doubt in my mind that UT could raise the bar for fundraising.