Students and teams can still fundraise for the upcoming Relay For Life event.
The Relay For Life American Cancer Society fundraiser will be from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday. Kickoff week for Relay began Monday.
Volunteers will sell luminarias for the event outside the caf throughout the week, said Emily Diaz, acting junior and event lead.
Luminarias are paper bags with candles inside that people decorate to honor a cancer patient or someone who has died from cancer.
Hurts Donuts will be available on Wednesday for $3 outside the caf until supplies last. Fundraiser night will be 5-10 p.m. April 16 at Chipotle, 3315 Northwest Expressway.
The event will be Monopoly-themed this year, Diaz said.
“The campus will be surprised when they come out to the quad and see our setup,” she said.
The event will include a VIP area for participants who raise $240 or more, Diaz said.
“It will have food, a napping area and other fun goodies,” she said.
Diaz said they planned activities and entertainment for all 12 hours to keep people up.
Diaz said she is passionate about Relay because she felt there was finally a group of people that understood her after her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer.
“To all of the patients and survivors, I want to say that I applaud you,” Diaz said. “You are a brave fighter who said ‘I am not going to sit here and let this disease take me.’”
Students can get involved by joining a team or starting their own, volunteering to set up, volunteering during the event, or donating to the cause.
Sarah Cason, senior psychology major and fundraising committee lead, said she fundraises by sending emails and Facebook messages. She advises others to reach out to family to fundraise.
The fundraising committee created OCU Relay beanies that are now on sale for $10.
Students can use the American Cancer Society FUNdraising app to accept credit card donations.
Cason said Relay is important to her because the more money that is funneled to the ACS, the more they can do in research and programs.
“My Dad was in a clinical trial for leukemia, and, although it was too late for him, it was successful for other patients,” she said. “Cancer constantly evolves, so constant funding is needed to support the best research.”
Relay allows people to fight for those who are unable to, said Sarah Lubaroff, dance freshman and chairwoman of the survivor/caregiver committee.
“The sad reality is, most people will have some experience with cancer in their life, but Relay For Life is a way to decrease that number,” she said.
For more information about the event, go to the Relay For Life website, relay.org/okcuok, or contact Diaz at ecdiazbrenes@my.okcu.edu.
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