Hundreds of students packed the Gantcher Center Friday night for Tufts' first annual Relay for Life.
The event was sponsored by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in order to support and raise money for the organization's cancer research.
Relays have been held around the country for over 15 years.
Tufts' Relay for Life began at 6 p.m. Friday evening and teams of students were supposed to keep at least one member walking or running around the track at all times until the end -- noon on Saturday.
The event opened with a short speech by Dr. John Coffin, an ACS-funded researcher at Tufts School of Medicine. "Thank you all for raising money to allow me to stay in the lab and fight this disease," he said.
43 teams participated overall.
Event organizers Tufts Community Union (TCU) President-elect Dave Baumwoll and Craig Kelly, both sophomores, estimated that over 400 students walked at some point during the night.
Each participant is asked to raise money through donations from friends and family. "Our goal was $50,000 -- which was a pretty lofty goal," Baumwoll said.
"The ACS asks that first-year Relays raise $20,000 and we think that by the end of the night we will have hit over $50,000," Kelly said.
According to Baumwoll and Kelly, Tufts' Relay for Life had received $49,000 in donations before the event began.
Although most teams were made up of students, one team came from a cancer survivor's group at Sacred Heart Church in Medford.
Team member and survivor Linda Penta said events like the Relay are important because they raise awareness. "It really can happen to anyone and these events show that."
Penta's teammate Paula Cacciola said, "We saw some younger survivors in here today. It's good to see other students out here supporting them."
The event has been in the works since last year, but Baumwoll and Kelly began planning the event in November. "We had a team of about 30 people working to plan this night," Kelly said. "Everyone worked really hard."
The committee is affiliated with the Leonard Carmichael Society's Cancer Outreach group but funding for the event came from the ACS. "The ACS gave us a budget of ten percent of whatever we end up raising," Baumwoll said.
The event also featured performances by student groups including Sarabande and Shir Appeal. Several restaurants also donated food to the event, including free samples of Baskin Robbins ice cream.
"So many people donated to this night," Baumwoll said. "The committee did a great job putting everything together."
Participants spent the night in Gantcher. Some students set up tents to nap or passed the time playing cards. "I didn't sleep at all and I walked thirteen hours, but I had a fun because it was for a good cause," sophomore Jason Bauer said.
"It's a really great event," sophomore committee member and TCU Senator Cho Ling said. "This is the first time I've seen all these people working together on the same cause. I think Tufts needs more events like this."
Baumwoll has been involved in cancer outreach since high school. "A good friend of mine had cancer and it runs in my family," he said. "So it's an issue that's always been important to me."
Students can expect another relay next year. "This is the beginning of a tradition," Baumwoll said.
