Community Comes Together in Wake of Relay for Life Theft

When the Relay for Life ended Saturday, April 26, the committee counted $1985.78 in donations from the event, coming up $1300 short. It was soon discovered the missing cash was stolen during the event’s Luminaria service.Now, a week later, a total of $4,178.23—almost a thousand dollars more than the amount raised before the theft—will be donated to the American Cancer Society, a testament to the resilience and generosity of the Exeter community.The theft prompted an outcry and subsequent outpouring of support from the Exeter community. Both Principal Thomas Hassan and upper Cornelia Smith, a co-chair of the event, spoke of the crime’s psychological scars left behind at last Friday’s assembly and urged the perpetrator to turn in the money anonymously. The crime also spurred an investigation that involved the town police, due to the amount of money that went missing.Hassan, who wanted to support Drew Goydan and Smith at the assembly, said that the act “cuts at the fabric of our tight-knit community, one based on trust.”“It leaves us feeling vulnerable and angry,” Hassan said.“I was very thankful for all the work the organizers put into the event and want to be as supportive as I can as they work to recoup the missing funds.”AJ Cosgrove, the dean of residential life, notified the local authorities. “It was a theft over $500, so we reported it to the Exeter police,” he said.Cosgrove added that as far as he is aware, the investigation by the Exeter Police did not lead to any conclusive results.“There’s really nothing that can be done. We don’t have any idea who did it,” he said.The theft has left the Exeter community angered and bewildered as to who could have committed such a crime. Since Relay for Life was an event open to the public, many have stated that anyone in attendance at the event could have taken the cash.Others question how the money was stolen, since it was supposed to be locked away during the Luminaria service.Although it has been twelve days since the theft, and the offender has not turned in the money, the Exeter community responded with an outpouring of support by donating at a booth in Agora arranged the day after the announcement of the theft and sharing personal stories through Facebook statuses and social media.The co-heads of the Relay for Life Club, who organized the event, were deeply saddened and hurt by the act.“Relay for Life was not only a unifying event for the community, but one which was essential to raising cancer awareness and honoring those affected by this disease,” Goydan, event co-chair, said.“When we found out an individual, or group of individuals, had taken money from the event, we felt as though they were directly taking away from the cause and purpose of the event.”Goydan added that she was deeply moved by the community’s compassionate reaction to the tragedy. “Standing at the donation booth during assembly break, I was in awe of the waves of people we had stop by and donate, giving donations both big and small,” Goydan said.“It seemed as though everyone came by to contribute in whatever way they could. I always knew the PEA community was strong, but the response to this unfortunate event was truly a remarkable showing of unity and resilience.”Remarkably, more money was raised because of the stolen money than was stolen.While many responded to the event through donations, others expressed their sorrow and anger through social media.After an all-school email was sent out on the evening of Wednesday, April 30, statuses flooded Facebook and Twitter.Upper Jordan Cynewski said through a Facebook status that he was disgusted to learn that, after “an entire community came together and worked for months in order to hold this beautiful event,” it was “desecrated by one heartless individual.”“[The] money was for cancer research, and its theft is a slap in the face of all people who have been affected by cancer. This is a truly repulsive act, and whoever committed it should be expelled and arrested,” he wrote.The status, just one of many, incited well over a hundred “likes.”But for many Exonians, the amount of money missing was not the most pressing issue, rather, it was the idea that someone from within the community committed an illegal act against a charity.“It’s strange knowing that someone who stole that money could be sitting next to you in your classes, it’s just crazy,” lower Audrey DeGuerrera, who spoke during the Luminaria service at Relay, said.The theft shocked upper Kimberly Dawes, as well, and she turned to Facebook to voice her opinions.“What especially angered me was that the theft was during the Luminaria ceremony,” Dawes said. “That ceremony is an incredibly personal and emotional time. I just remember I thought about my granddad the entire time, and I got this pang in my stomach because I had not realized how much I missed him.”Nevertheless, Exonians saw Relay for Life as a triumph for the cancer community.Upper Eli Feliciano suggested that students acknowledge the crime, but also celebrate the success of the night.“Whatever we do, we must prove the futility of this act by not letting the thief know we have been damaged,” Feliciano said.