Relay for Life Raises Money for Cancer Research

The Exeter Social Service Organization (ESSO) hosted Relay for Life, an annual event dedicated to raising money for the American Cancer Society and raising cancer awareness within the Exeter community this past Saturday. At the evening, which the Relay for Life Committee spent all of winter term planning, students and faculty members traded in dollars for tickets that they could spend at a plethora of carnival style booths hosted by dorms and student organizations, which offered services ranging from belly dancing lessons to crèpes to henna tattoos.This year, the total funds raised far surpassed the managing board’s original goal. According to Co-head of Relay for Life and lower Gavin Cotter, the event has only raised around five thousand dollars in the past. Although many aspects of this year’s Relay for Life were similar to last year’s event, Cotter and the rest of the board pushed for more publicity and more funds. “The main change we wanted to emphasize [was] community this year, so we tried to get as many people to donate or participate in the event as possible,” he said.

“Relay for Life is very fun, and at the same time, it’s a time for people to reflect on the way that cancer affects their lives and other people in the Exeter community’s lives.”

The group also made use of a website to collect donations from the family and friends of the Exeter community. This online donation platform alone brought in around seven thousand dollars for the fundraiser. As the primary social media account manager of Relay for Life, upper Winslow MacDonald found this outreach to be a crucial aspect of the event’s success. “[The website] enabled us to reach a larger demographic of people and greatly increase our fundraising,” he said.Co-head of Relay for Life and upper Gabby Gabel explained that she wanted to keep the candle-lit walk that concluded the Luminaria service just as it had been in previous years. With a heavier emphasis on community participation and a larger monetary goal, Gabel hoped that the Luminaria service would serve as a quiet space for reflection within the lively event. “We tried to keep the Luminaria service pretty much the same as it has always been, as we wanted to keep it heartfelt, quiet and traditional,” she said.Upper Mila DeGuere, who organized the service, described her passion for the event. “I didn’t know it existed until I got to Exeter, and as someone who has lost someone extremely close to me from cancer—my father—I felt so immediately loved and supported by the community,” she said.The performances and readings shared by Exeter students during the Luminaria service were a highlight for many. During the ceremony, students sat on the bleachers, looking down at the candle-lit rink. Upper Meg Bolan and seniors Jaden Wood and Annie Yanofsky shared personal anecdotes about how cancer affected their lives.Bolan explained that in her speech she intentionally impressed upon attendees the larger impact Relay for Life has and its importance as more than a night of fun. “It’s easy to get lost in the games, baked goods and other shenanigans and view it simply as some carnival, but it has a purpose,” she said. “It’s to fundraise and contribute to a great cause that will change lives globally and locally.”Other memorable moments included a dance performed by upper Claire Jutabha and a song performed on the violin by upper Sophia Oguri. During the ceremony, DeGuere read off a list of names of loved ones lost by cancer submitted by the Exeter community, and when students heard a name they recognized, they lit a candle in remembrance. To conclude the ceremony, students made a lap around the rink in meditative silence.DeGuere enjoyed the liveliness of the booths and the evening leading up to the ceremony, but she also felt drawn towards the quiet reflection and remembrance of Luminaria. “The Luminaria walk is a beautiful moment to think of the future, one hopefully without cancer,” she said.Head of the Awareness Committee and upper Lauren Maguire also found the Luminaria walk moving and unifying. “It’s a great time to come together as a community,” she said. “It also often helps reveal the more sensitive side of people that they try to hide.”After losing a loved one to Leukemia and celebrating her father’s defeat of cancer, Maguire found in the Luminaria service a time to reflect and become “emotional.”Gabel also referenced the Luminaria bags— paper bags containing tea-light candles that those in attendance were invited to decorate in commemoration of their loved ones who had suffered from cancer.  “The Luminaria bags around the track really made me realize how many people in the Exeter community have been affected by cancer,” she said.After the Luminaria ceremony, Exonians continued to enjoy the booths that lined the rink. “I think this year there were a lot of great booths with a lot of diversity,” Cotter said. “As I walked around to all the different booths throughout the night, people seemed to be enjoying each and every one.”Gabel named the interactive booths, such as the lacrosse and hockey shootouts, as her favorites, while MacDonald enjoyed a donut bobbing competition hosted by Main Street. DeGuere described the Wheelwright booth, where students received detailed, cartoon-esque pictures of themselves, as a favorite. Maguire, although “a bit biased,” enjoyed her own dorm’s booth, Hoyt Heels. “It’s always funny to make your friends walk around the rink in high heels, especially those with little experience,” she said.Orafidiya found the experience of working behind the booths to be exciting and fun. At the POMS booth, Orafidiya was responsible for selling baked goods, such as cookies, cakes and cupcakes. He also enjoyed the slushies made by Soule Hall and the drinks made by the Day Student Bar.Upper Michael Bamah also enjoyed both working behind and going to many of the booths. After helping out with the popular Cilley Hall C-Ball booth, Bamah visited the Student Council grill and ate some of Ewald’s made-to-order pancakes. He also liked the “pie-ing” booth, where students could purchase a plate of whipped cream to pie their friends with.Behind the event’s entertaining booths was the deeper purpose of raising awareness and money for cancer research. Cotter hopes that this message got across to students, and that in addition to having a good time and raising money, they became more conscious of cancer and its effects throughout the night. “Raising money for the American Cancer Society is a big part of what we do, but helping educate people about cancer and making them aware of the work that the American Cancer Society does is also very important,” he said.Bamah echoed this sentiment, saying, “Relay for Life is very fun, and at the same time, it’s a time for people to reflect on the way that cancer affects their lives and other people in the Exeter community’s lives.”