Want to Get Involved?

Has your own personal experience with cancer inspired you to do more? Have you never directly known anyone affected by cancer and hope to keep it that way? Relay for Life is a great way to get involved in the endless fight against cancer. There are 4 ways to join Relay for Life.

 

1. Join the Planning Committee

As a committee member you will work behind the scenes from team recruitment to survivorship to logistics and setup. Being a committee member requires the greatest time commitment since the committee holds weekly meetings as well as other assignments. This is the best way to be fully involved in Relay for Life, you will have many opportunities to learn more about the American Cancer Society and inspire others to join in the Relay for Life movement!

 

2. Create a Team

There would not be an event without teams! Teams are the heart and soul of Relay for Life. Teams raise the money that supports the American Cancer Society programs and research. They also create the spirit of the event and are directly involved in the community with their fundraisers and recruitment. To start a team, talk to friends, neighbors, classmates, professors, everyone who is passionate about ending the fight against cancer. Once you have identified team members go to www.RelayforLife.org/OU to sign up your team! Now get out there, fundraise, and get excited for the Relay!

 

3. Sponsorship

Sponsors make the event possible. Business and personal donations help the committee make Relay for Life all it can be! Cash is always welcome, but sponsorship isn't just money, it can be food, media outlets, and various products. Being a sponsor means helping your community, you will be a part of this wonderful event that educates and aids your friends, family, and neighbors.

 

4. Donate

One of the many goals of Relay for Life is community involvement. You don't need to devote hours of your time or hundreds of dollars. We hope that by giving just a little you will be rewarded with information about how to get well, stay well, find cures, and fight back. Attend a team's fundraiser or throw a dollar in the bucket. Every little bit helps, and remember, cents make change!

 

To get involved, become our fan on Facebook (see the link on the right) and send us a message. We will be sure to see that you get in touch with the right person!

What is Relay for Life?

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event, because cancer never sleeps. Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

Relay began in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon in Tacoma, Washington, ran and walked around a track for 24 hours to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Since then, Relay has grown from a single man’s passion to fight cancer into the world’s largest movement to end the disease. Each year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000 communities in the United States, along with additional communities in 20 other countries, gather to take part in this global phenomenon and raise much-needed funds and awareness to save lives from cancer. Thanks to Relay participants, the American Cancer Society continues to save lives.[1]

At Ohio University's Relay for Life survivors and students join the movement at the Athens County Fairgrounds for 18 hours. There are tons of bands, games, and fun filled moments along with free food (and what college student doesn't love a free meal?). Whether it's during the Miss Relay contest or the Luminaria Ceremony, we celebrate those who have battled cancer, remember those who lost their battle, and fight back against the disease that takes too much. As college students we are future researchers, doctors, caregivers, and survivors. Through our continued support of the American Cancer Society and our never-ending fight against cancer, we have the possibility of seeing the day when we find the cure!

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[1] www.RelayforLife.org