Columbia University’s 7th Annual Relay for Life

Columbia University’s Colleges Against Cancer chapter will be holding their 7th annual Relay For Life on campus on April 17, 2010, from 10am to 10pm. Relay For Life is the world’s largest not-for-profit fundraiser, and is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Started as a fundraising initiative by an individual who was going to spend 24 hours jogging around a track to raise money for his local ACS chapter, Relay For Life has now evolved into a team fundraising walk-a-thon, uniting the community around a common cause: fighting cancer. Celebrating its 25th birthday this year, Relay For Life events are now held in all 50 states and all across the globe.

The past fiscal year has been tough on many industries, but the nonprofits like the American Cancer Society have been hit the hardest. In an effort to cope with new budgetary constraints and still provide the best services to New Yorkers and people around the globe, Columbia’s Relay For Life fundraiser has been moved from outdoors to indoors. It’s an opportunity to give a much-beloved campus event a facelift and to remind participants about the mission of their work: making a contribution to the fight against cancer.

With the work of the committee, Colleges Against Cancer was able to book Columbia’s Dodge Fitness Center–the facility where hundreds of Division complete with the use of their actual track for the walk-a-thon.

The space will still play host to all of the memorable Relay on-site events: such as the family-friendly Miss Relay, drag pageant, the Relay Idol lip-sync, the great musical performers, the races, the on-site fundraising, and even the luminaria ceremony. The Luminaria ceremony, an integral part of every Relay, will be re-imagined using both the indoors and outdoors spaces to light the white paper bags decorated in support or in memory of cancer patients.

In addition,Matthew Zachary, founder of I’m Too Young For This, a youth cancer awareness and support nonprofit, will the morning keynote speaker. As a cancer survivor, he understands what each cancer survivor has been through, and offers a dose of humor with his optimism and positive words for those that are still coping with the disease.

The fundraiser is in its 7th year on Columbia’s campus, and has raised over $220,000 to donate to the American Cancer Society over the past 3 years alone. Their goal this year is to contribute $82,000 to the American Cancer Society’s work in cancer research, patient services, outreach, advocacy, and education. Right here in New York City, the ACS gave a $2.1 million research grant to two of Columbia University’s Teacher’s College researchers working on how to extend colon cancer screenings into low-income, high-risk populations of North Manhattan, and only a few years ago, New York’s first free temporary housing facility for cancer patients, the Hope Lodge, opened in Herald Square.

Relay has also gone social–in an effort to reach out to every market, Columbia’s Relay For Life now has its own Facebook Fan Page, blog, and Twitter feed.

Team registration for the 7th Annual Relay For Life of Columbia University is currently open. $10-gets you into the Relay /$20 Fundraising Miminimum- gets you the event t-shirt / $30 Gets you everything! Register a team, join a team, or sign up as a survivor HERE.

Saturday, April 17, 10 AM – 10 PM at Dodge Fitness Center – Blue GYM West 119th St. & Broadway

Your email:

 

Posted in Cool Finds, Performances/Events/Charities | 1 Comment »