By VANESSA LANGDON
News Editor
The Saint Rose campus turned purple in the name of cancer awareness once again this year. The fifth annual student-run Relay for Life was held on the quad Friday, April 29 from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The Relay was held outside for the entirety of the event for the first time in several years. The past three years, Relay has been relocated inside at some point of the event, according to Caitlin Connelly, the president of the Saint Rose chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.
“It’s such a blessing this year,” she said. “At this time last year, it was snowing.”
This year’s event is special for Connelly; as a senior on campus this will be her last year as Colleges Against Cancer president, a position she has held for two years.
“It’s the biggest Relay I’ve been a part of,” said Connelly, who has been involved since her freshman year. “It’s nice going out with a bang.”
This year’s Relay was the best prepared according to Connelly. She credits the hard work of about 35 members of CAC for their dedication to the cause.
The group has committees within it that work to make sure that every facet of the night is well-planned and scheduled.
“A lot of our money this year came from collaborations with other clubs,” said Connelly. The clubs donated proceeds from events that they would have otherwise pocketed themselves, a fact that Connelly was proud of.
“We’re already doing better this year than we did last year at this time,” she said of the amount raised at the start of the night.
Each college hosting a Relay for Life event starts out with a fundraising goal of $25,000, according to Connelly, but that amount is a challenge for the Saint Rose community as a smaller school.
As small as it is, students still show up in droves to show their support.
“Unfortunately, you’re hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t been touched by cancer, so it’s an unfortunate unifying factor,” said Carly Weller, Student Association president.
Area Coordinator for residence life and Colleges Against Cancer club advisor Matt Vincent spoke about his experience with cancer at the opening ceremonies of Relay, held at 6 p.m. Vincent’s Gram was diagnosed with cancer and sadly lost her battle, but before her passing Vincent made a promise to her.
“I promised her I would not let cancer win,” he said. “Relay became my therapy.”
While a somber event – as student, faculty, and community members remembered those lost to the battle – Relay is also seen as a cry for renewed enthusiasm in the continued fight.
“We are part of a good cause,” said Nicole Malandruccolo, a CAC member. “Everybody’s having fun and relaxing.”
Malandruccolo sees having two big campus events on the same weekend – Relay for Life and Rose Rock – as a positive.
“I personally like it,” she said. “I think it’s nice that they do it on the same weekend people who’ve graduated come back. Yeah, everybody’s tired, but we power through it.”
“My mom had cancer and my grandparents both died from it, so this is just a disease that takes so much. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” said Malandruccolo of the decision to shave her head as part of St. Baldrick’s day for the first time this year.
A major draw for students and CAC members alike this year was the theme: Disney.
“I’m super hyped it’s Disney,” Malandruccolo said. “Disney was a big hit. There’s so many different things you can do with it.”
The themed shirts are just one example of how successful the theme was – the shirts were sold out by 5:52 p.m., just three hours after Relay for Life started.
The night featured themed games and laps, including a “Finding Nemo” scavenger hunt, a fortune cookie lap paying homage to “Mulan,” and Lei Lap in honor of “Lilo and Stitch,” and a game of Disney Scene It in the main lounge, among others.
To help keep things alive and walkers awake all night, Relay featured performances by campus groups including The Other Guys, The Girls Next Door, Standby, The Golden Notes, and The Golden Knights Dance Team.
The dance team performed two routines, one Disney inspired.
“It felt good doing them. We have our showcase next Saturday, so at this point we hope things are stage-ready,” said Lizzie Fitzpatrick, Golden Knights Dance Team president, at Relay.
The dancer were at the event much longer than it took them to perform. They had a Relay for Life team and table set up doing princess braids for $2.
The team had raised $1,100 halfway through the night, surpassing their goal of $1,000.
At press time, the 31 teams and 236 people who participated in the event, as well as other donors, have raised close to $18,000. Donations are accepted until August 1 and an official amount of the funds raised is not finalized until that date.
“This club has been a huge part of my college experience, and I really encourage everyone to join,” Connelly said of CAC. “If you are passionate about eliminating cancer, and want to make a true difference, CAC is the club for you.”
