It is widely known that most people have been affected by cancer in some way. Students will have a chance to make a difference in the fight against cancer later this year when the Blue Cancer Society hosts Wellesley’s first Relay for Life event.
Junior Jess Haladyna is the Event Chair of the Relay for Life of Wellesley College Committee. The committee has been planning the affair for months, but is looking forward to the actual relay, which will take place on April 22. Although the event’s name may make you think you have to compete in a 5K race, that isn’t the case.
“There are lot of misconceptions about Relay,” Haladyna said. “The main part being that you have to run the whole time and that it’s a relay race. That is not true at all. The Relay for Life is more like a carnival.”
Haladyna says people generally participate in teams. At least one member of each team is encouraged to walk around the track during the overnight relay. Participants will get to enjoy live music, live entertainment, games and food throughout the night. In addition to walking around the track, teams can set up booths to sell goods and raise money for the American Cancer Society.
“We’re going to encourage each team to set up its own booth,” Haladyna said. “I understand that at a college event people don’t have a lot of time to prepare for it. They just want to come for all the games and the fun, which is absolutely fine, but I think it increases the fun if people come with their own things to sell.”
In the past, Wellesley students have gone into Boston to participate in the All University Relay. Many schools chose to have their own relays and so Wellesley decided to host its own event too. The event will be open to Wellesley students and faculty, as well as students from Babson and Olin.
“A lot of people liked to participate in Relay because they liked to go out and hang out with boys,” Haladyna said. “That’s not really what the event is about. I thought it was really important to reach the Wellesley campus and broaden our aspects of education, advocacy, and research and support in the fight against cancer. It’s just such a great cause.”
In addition to organizing the event, the committee has been working hard to come up with the event’s theme. This year’s theme will be, ‘One Hope, One Cure: Relay Around the World.’ Haladyna said she feels that so many people at Wellesley can relate to the cultural theme and she hopes booths will offer different types of food and entertainment.
“It’s an event with so much fun,” Haladyna said. “You should definitely go. It’s for such a great cause.
Interested in participating? Register at www.relayforlife.org/wellesleycollege. Participants pay $10 to register. This fee includes a t-shirt and food throughout the night.
The event is funded by corporate sponsors and individual donations. To learn how to help, email Jess Haladyna at jhaladyn@wellesley.edu.