Relay For Life took over AU's campus Saturday night as participants walked around the quad to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The relay set up headquarters in Ward with a DJ based in Kay Spiritual Life Center and entertainment in the Tavern.
The relay raised about $38,000, less than previous years. However, in terms of spirit and entertainment, "The event was unrivaled," relay co-chair Katie Bassler said. "All the people who were there were really committed," she said.
Teams of walkers pitched tents on the quad and in Mary Graydon Center, staging a 12-hour event from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. One member of each team must be walking around the quad at all times, said Matt Klaus, logistics chairman and a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. The event was a joint effort between AU and GW.
A lot of people stayed all night despite the cold weather, Bassler said. "I think everyone was exhausted when we finished up but it was a good night," she said.
Different events were held every hour including live music, Relay Idol, Singled Out, yoga and a ping-pong tournament.
"You wouldn't believe how much people love karaoke," said Bassler, a senior in the School of Public Affairs, as she made a crown for the winner of Relay Idol. "I'm actually defending champ."
Co-chair Mary McLaughlin, a senior in SPA, said that official planning for the relay began in August.
This year, many participants hosted independent fundraisers, which had never happened before, according to Bassler.
The College Republicans decided to fundraise as a team by selling "Be a Fighter" T-shirts.
"So far, they've been a big hit," said Laura Padgett, a senior in the Kogod School of Business.
The relay opened with about 10 cancer survivors walking a lap by themselves as they were cheered by bystanders, Bassler said.
Faith Alice Sleeper, an AU alum from the School of International Service, said she was walking in honor of her grandmother. Although her team pitched a tent on the quad, Sleeper said she didn't plan on sleeping.
"We just did this to raise money," she said.
Colin Shelby, a freshman in SPA, raised $110 by "sending out a few e-mails, pulling some strings," he said. Shelby walked with his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. "It was an event we thought would be beneficial to the community," he said. Shelby said he was "eagerly anticipating the Singled Out activity."
At 11 p.m., participants lit luminaria spelling "hope" in honor of friends and relatives who died of cancer. Everyone was "emotionally invested in the event" and moved by the ceremony said Bassler. Afterwards, Joanna Ganson, a student from Johns Hopkins, said she was walking at a brisk pace to shake off the melancholy of the ceremony.
Priyangi Rajakaruna, a junior at GW, and another member of her Circle K group watched Matt Miller perform in the warmth of the Tavern. She said the music was good and the relay was encouraging because everyone one knows someone who had cancer. "I'm definitely coming again next year," she
said.
Miller ended his set by encouraging relay participants, "Stay strong tonight"
