By CHRISTINA L. MOSS
Clarion News Writer
Second only to Penn State in terms of annual participants to the event, the Clarion University Relay for Life is student-led, student-driven.
“Clarion University is very fortunate to have this group of students year in and year out that’s willing to unselfishly put something else before them to accomplish something much greater than themselves,” stated Ken Staub, faculty advisor for Relay for Life.
One of the first events that Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson attended after becoming the president of Clarion University was a Relay for Life Meeting.
“I was invited and I stayed for a good part of the meeting and I learned a lot about what our students are capable of and what they do. You make me proud every day. I know you make the community proud, I know you make your families proud and I certainly know you make the staff and faculty proud,” said Pehrsson as a special guest to the conference.
Pehrsson added, “I am very proud to say the research that has gone on has really impacted and saved many lives. The treatment has changed exponentially over the last 25 years.
“There are things that we can do today to prolong and in fact cure lives all because of the work that our students do as part of thousands of students and individuals across the United States doing this program.
“The work that you do really does change the world and change the future so I thank you for that; I thank you for making us all so proud and for serving the community and the university.”
This year the Relay for Life Event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 29-30 and the theme is “Fighting to put Cancer in the Past.”
“So far we have 30 teams signed up with 300 participants. That is halfway to our goal of participants which is outstanding with it being about 50 days out from the event,” said student co-chair Carri Pakozdi. “We also have raised well over $11,000 which is great so far for the university.”
The event will begin with honoring everyone who has been affected by cancer and everyone who has contributed to the success of this year’s Relay season.
The Relay Walk will follow honoring survivors and caregivers.
A luminaire ceremony will be held which honors each life lost by cancer, a survivor of cancer or support for a person still fighting the disease.
“The feeling you have when you are in the room hearing everyone talk about their stories or seeing all the bags (luminaire) of all the people that have been affected by cancer, your friends are sobbing and you’re sobbing and it’s so emotional because you know how hard this disease is and how much it affects people and you feel that in the room,” said committee member Lynae Delacour. “I feel like that’s a reason to come because you don’t have to feel it alone. Everyone in that room is feeling it too.”
Students will be participating in many fundraisers during the event day such as hair donations, a costume contest, a photobooth, music and a raffle with baskets donated from local businesses.
“We have over 40 baskets of things we raffle off. That’s really big. That’s usually one of our main attractions,” said Delacour.
If you would like to follow the activities leading up to and including event day, you can find them on Twitter and Instagram as CUP Relay For Life and on Facebook as Relay For Life of Clarion University.