Over 450 students participated in the second annual 18 hour walk-a-thon, the Relay for Life, which began last Friday and continued until Saturday morning, in Cousens Gymnasium.
The event, sponsored by the Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS), collected the largest fundraiser purse in Tufts history, topping last year's total of around $55,000.
Online donations totaled $55,401, and over $5,000 was collected at the event. "We basically spent all year planning it," event co-organizer junior Craig Kelly said.
All of the money raised will be given to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
According to Kelly, over 400 colleges nationwide participate in Relay for Life. "Last year, we were number six in the nation [in] online [fundraising]," he said. "This year, although we raised $5,000 more than last year, other schools raised a lot more."
The event played a dual role as both a fundraiser and a social gathering. Fundraising teams included such groups as LCS, fraternities and sororities, and intramural teams. "Almost every Greek house on campus signed up," TCU Senator junior Jeff Katzin said.
This year's student presence, however, was stronger than last year's. "There were a lot of people that were in and out, but more [people] remained than last year," Katzin said.
Katzin said he attributed the students' stamina to the Relay's changed hours. Last year, the event began at 6 p.m. and ran until noon the next day. This year's walk began at noon on Friday and ended at 6 a.m. Saturday.
"It went better than last time because we cut down the hours," Kelly said.
Not all held out until the end, however. "It was pretty fun," participant sophomore Stephanie Mayer said. "[But] I didn't stay the whole night."
Aside from changed hours, organizers said that this year's Relay ran smoothly because of strong publicity from last year's event. "[This year] it was easier in reaching out because people were more familiar with the event," Katzin said.
According to participants, the star of the night was TCU Senator sophomore Brody Hale. While teams traded off hours of walking on the track to keep one member on it at all times, Hale walked for 13 hours straight. "He just kept going," Katzin said.
Hale has several family members who have fought cancer. "[Through these people,] I have sseen what cancer can do to someone, and so I thought this would be a good way to stand up and support them," Hale said.
While organizers said they were happy with the turnout and the fundraising, they agreed that upcoming years have room for improvement, especially regarding community involvement.
The event had an average amount of participants for national Relay for Life events, but in comparison to other ACS walks across the nation, Katzin said that organizers are usually able to attract people from the surrounding communities.
"It's a great event that can help community relations," Katzin said. "Hopefully [involving the community] is a thing we can work on in the future. It's community building, too."
