Students help battle cancer in Relay For Life

BY LAUREN ROTHERING
Arts and Entertainment Editor

Saint Mary’s University will host Relay for Life from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. April 9-10, in the Recreation and Athletic Center (RAC).

This year marks the third Relay at SMU. According to senior Leslie Paquette, a coordinator for Relay, before the event was held at SMU, SMU students participated in Winona State University’s Relay for Life. Upon observing a large number of SMU teams’ participation at WSU, SMU’s Colleges Against Cancer group decided to host an event on SMU’s campus.

In the past two years alone, said Paquette, SMU has raised over $40,000 for the American Cancer Society. So far this year, donations balance out to almost $3,000 a full two months before the actual event.

Teams of 9-15 members sign up for Relay and solicit donations from family members, friends and businesses. On April 9, the teams and members of the community will meet in the RAC for a night of games, music, on-site fundraisers and a “Mr. Relay for Life” contest. In order to signify that “cancer never sleeps,” said Paquette, each team is asked to have a representative walking the track at all times.

According to Paquette, preparation for an event as large as Relay is extensive and takes months of planning.

“The most difficult parts of the planning process are motivating people to make the effort to raise money and solicit outside support from business around the community,” said Paquette. “Though we have an incredibly hardworking committee, there are very few of us (...) we each have a lot of responsibility.”

However, said Paquette, the culmination of months of planning leads to a very rewarding, and very fun, event. “Last year (…) there was laughter and tears, and everyone was so supportive of the experience,” said Paquette.

Currently, there are 25 teams registered for Relay. To register a team, students should contact Paquette at lmpaqu06@smumn.edu.