Stevenson University will host a Relay for Life on April 30 from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. in the Owings Mills gym. The event is a fundraiser that supports the American Cancer Society. Students, faculty, and outsiders are all welcome to participate. As of April 26, there are 37 teams registered.
Relay for Life is the largest not-for-profit activity in the world. The mission of the event is to fight for the cure against cancer. Money raised during the event is used for research, outreach programs, education and community services. It is a 12-hour event during which teams host on-site fundraising activities. The event is centered around a track lined with luminaries, which honor those who are fighting or have fought cancer.
CEREMONIES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT
Stevenson’s event will start with an opening ceremony at 3 p.m., a high-energy celebration of the lives of those who have battled cancer. At 3:30 p.m. there will be a survivor lap, the first lap around the track, which allows survivors to celebrate their victory over cancer. People are considered survivors from the moment they are diagnosed, so whether they are in remission or in treatment, they are survivors. The survivor lap is directly followed by the caregivers lap. This honors those who have been a caregiver for someone with cancer; those who they have helped may take this lap with them if they are present.
At 7 p.m. there will be a Luminaria Ceremony. A candlelight ceremony will honor loved ones who have passed, support is offered for those who are still fighting and honor is given to those who have fought in the past. This is a powerful ceremony which provides an opportunity to work through grief and find hope.
Lastly, at 2:30 a.m., there will be a closing ceremony that celebrates the event and the fundraising that occurred. This is a final reflection and a reminder to continue to fight for the cause throughout the entire year.
In addition to the main ceremonies, there will be a lot of entertainment. Stephen Nyitrai, senior computer information systems major, is the head of marketing for Stevenson’s event. He couldn’t reveal everything that was going to be there, but he did say there would be sumo wrestling, lip sync battles, food eating contests and a Mr. Relay competition. There will also be on-site fundraisers organized by each team, which include crafts, games and much more.
Registration for Relay for Life is $10 until Friday, April 29 at noon, when it is bumped up to $20. The planning committee can be reached at [email protected] if anyone has further questions.