On Saturday evening, the Coach Bill Sudeck Track in North Residential Village will glow in remembrance of those who have lost their battle with cancer and in support of those who are fighting it. The 8:15 p.m. Luminaria Ceremony is one of the most recognizable events of the 18-hour Relay For Life, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 18, and will end on Sunday, April 19, with the Closing Ceremony at 5:30 a.m.
The event, which is open to the entire community, aims to not only remember those who have died of cancer, but also to celebrate those who have survived and to continue fighting.
This year’s theme, ““Cancer—not here, not there, not anywhere,” is a “Dr. Seuss-esque” take on the purpose of the event. The organizers of the event sought to use the popular children’s author’s rhyming technique to get to the underlying purpose of eradicating cancer.
Case Western Reserve’s Colleges Against Cancer chapter organizes Relay For Life at the university. The chapter formed two years ago to advocate for cancer policy and cancer education, celebrate survivors and fundraise throughout the year.
The chapter’s members set a fundraising goal of $65,000 this year, and though the official numbers are constantly changing, as of Monday, 52 teams composed of 571 participants had raised nearly $40,000. The total didn’t include early fundraising from various organizations across campus, so the number is expected to jump.
Relay For Life is the flagship event of the American Cancer Society (ACS), which uses the money for patient care initiatives and to educate people about cancer, but which primarily allocates the funds to cancer research.
“That’s what I really like about Relay at [CWRU]—a lot of what we’re putting into the event [could come] right back to the university,” Shruthi Srinivas, executive director of external affairs for Relay For Life at Case Western Reserve, said, noting that many researchers at the university receive funding through ACS.
Srinivas, a senior biomedical engineering major, began attending Relay For Life events eight years ago, when her grandmother died of leukemia. Srinivas was a freshman in high school at the time and attended the event with her uncle in their hometown of Chelmsford, Mass. Since arriving at CWRU four years ago, she has been involved in planning the event.
The Luminaria Ceremony is her favorite Relay For Life event. “It gives me a chance to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing and the reasons why people are still fighting,” Srinivas said. “It feels like a solitary event, but there are all these people in the same environment, experiencing the same things—it unifies the community.”
The Luminaria Ceremony’s purpose is to remember those who have lost their lives to cancer. Immediately following the remembrance is the Fight Back Ceremony, in which participants vow to fight back until there is a cure to cancer.
“Fight Back is where we say: ‘Yeah, we can remember the people we’ve lost, but now we’re taking a stand and pledging to fight back and keep going. That’s not going to break us down,’” Srinivas said.
Relay For Life features a packed schedule of events, including:
April 18
11:30 a.m.: Opening Ceremony
12:30 p.m.: Provost’s Pancake Brunch
3 p.m.: Euchre Tournament
3 p.m.: Volleyball Tournament
5:30 p.m.: Upper Class Community Council Community and Jolly Scholar BBQ
8:15 p.m.: Luminaria Ceremony
9:45: Fight Back Ceremony
April 19
Midnight: Pizza Party
Midnight: Undergraduate Student Government’s Kickball Tournament
3 a.m.: Karaoke
5:30 a.m.: Closing Ceremony
In addition, many organizations will offer performances throughout the course of the event, such as the Juggling Club, the Faculty Band and Speakeasy. A detailed event schedule can be found at students.case.edu/events/relayforlife/schedule.html.
Those who want to get involved with Relay For Life can start a team, join a pre-existing one, or donate to the cause by visiting relayforlife.org/cwru or by showing up at the event.