Students Step Up

Relay For Life set for April 3-4 at Kline Athletic Center

February 17, 2009

The Dickinson College Relay for Life committee.

This year for the first time, Dickinson College will host its own Relay for Life to raise money in the fight against cancer.

In past years, students, faculty and employees at Dickinson College participated in the annual Carlisle Relay for Life, and many will continue to donate time, money and laps to that event.

Since Carlisle's relay is held after the spring semester, organizers of the Relay for Life of Dickinson College hope their event, scheduled for April 3-4 at the Kline Athletic Center, will generate more participation by students. (The Carlisle Relay for Life will be held May 29-30 at Carlisle High School.)

"Students are really the driving power in the Relay for Life," said Cate David '11, co-chair of the inaugural relay, which organizers hope will become an annual event. "The relay committee that is planning this worked all last semester to raise awareness about the event and cancer prevention. We also have been working to recruit teams—mainly sports teams, Greek life and student organizations."

That work is paying off.

So far, more than 90 individuals and a dozen teams have signed up and pledged more than $2,700, said co-chair Vince Barros '09.

"Our goal is $30,000 and to have some 20-25 teams participate," Barros said.

Participants will begin doing laps on the indoor track at the Kline Athletic Center on Friday, April 3, at 8 p.m. The beach-themed relay will end the next day at 8 a.m.

"It's an all-night event during which we ask that at least one person from each team walk the track at all times," Barros said. "This request is to symbolize a person's fight against cancer, which does not sleep at night."

These Dickinson College Relay for Life committee members are shown in the photo. Seated, from left: Cate David '11, Lucas Garrison '11, Casey Jane Schaffer '09, Darcy Phillips '11, Jessie Clark '11, Ursala Neuwirth '11, Catherine Fields '11 and Phoebe Kilgour '11. Standing, from left: Nicole Couturiaux '12, Mike Cimerola '10, Vince Barros '09, Sarah Freund '09, Angela Guy '12, Amanda Power '11 and Morgan Cheatham '12.

For information about Dickinson's Relay for Life, and to donate, visit www.relayforlife.org/padickinsoncollege.