4/2/12
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Relay for Life will take place April 28, 2012. |
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The Relay for Life event closes with a Luminaria Ceremony. |
Randolph-Macon College students are gearing up for Relay for Life 2012.
The annual fundraiser, which benefits the American Cancer Society, began in the 1980s. Teams of volunteers camp out, and members of each team take turns walking for the duration of the event. Randolph-Macon sponsors a Relay for Life on-campus event each year, and on April 28, 2012,
Ethan Litvin ’13 will be taking it all in stride.
Litvin, the chair of R-MC’s chapter, attended the 2010 event and was inspired in 2011 to take a more active role. He says the 2012 event is shaping up to be a success.
“After seeing how meaningful the event was, I knew I wanted to be more involved,” he says. “I realized that I could make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. Cancer affects everyone, and by working together, we can fight it.”
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During this community event, teams set up fundraising tables in Frank E. Brown Fountain Plaza. Team members take turns walking the sidewalks in between the Campus Center and Peele Hall, and activities and games throughout the day provide entertainment for all ages. The event opens with a Survivor Lap dedicated to cancer survivors, and it closes with a Luminaria Ceremony, held at nightfall, to honor those who have been touched by cancer and to remember loved ones lost to the disease.
According to Litvin, the task of fundraising for Relay for Life is a yearlong endeavor.
“We hold events throughout the year to raise awareness and collect donations,” he says. “It is crucial to the success of the cause that we keep our momentum going.”
R-MC
Sociology Professor Reber Dunkel, coordinator of Students Engaged in Responsible Volunteer Experiences (
SERVE), is encouraged by the enthusiasm and dedication of student volunteers.
“The fact that our students assume the leadership responsibility of organizing and maintaining activities such as Relay for Life speaks well of a campus culture that is more involved than ever in helping address larger social problems,” says Dunkel. “Relay for Life is a terrific way for students and the community to work together.”
Director of
Residence Life & Housing & Judicial Affairs Rodney Bardwell serves as the advisor for R-MC’s Relay for Life chapter.
“I have advised this group for the last three years and it is amazing to see how much our volunteers are affected by this event,” says Bardwell. “Cancer touches almost everyone in some way, and that’s why Relay is so important.”
Litvin hopes to get as many teams and sponsors together as possible in order to reach R-MC’s goal of raising $45,000.
“Relay for Life is an opportunity to have a great time and help save lives,” says Litvin. “Together, we can make wonderful things happen.”
Relay for Life will take place on April 28, 2012 from 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. on the campus of Randolph-Macon College. For more information, contact Rodney Bardwell at rbardwell@rmc.edu.
In 2010-11, R-MC students collectively amassed almost 8,000 volunteer hours. Nearly 50 students spent an alternative Spring Break in Florida for a combined 950 hours with Habitat for Humanity and 130 hours for a Haiti Relief project. Students in R-MC’s Greek organizations contributed more than 4,500 hours of collective service to the community, collected 550 pounds of canned food, donated 60 inches of hair to Locks of Love, 21 toys to Toys for Tots and generous funds to various organizations. In addition, money was raised on campus and donated to the Red Cross & Partners in Health for the Haiti Earthquake Relief. The SERVE program, in the Office of Student Life, is an integral part of Randolph-Macon’s Leadership Development and Service Initiative.
Originally published on 12/12/11