Supplied — Niki GellnerStudents can participate in pie throwing, Zumba dancing and lip syncing in the name of cancer awareness at this year’s Relay for Life.
The six-hour relay will be held in the Van Vliet Main Gym as opposed to outside to increase the convenience for participating students. The goal is to engage 150 participants in an evening of non-competitive looping around the Butterdome, with a stream of different entertainment events, such as pie throwing, organizer Niki Gellner said.
“I didn’t throw any pies, but I got a couple thrown at me,” Gellner said. “It was fun, and people really liked it.”
Teams usually contain between seven and 14 individuals. Some teams come from faculty groups and others come from extracurricular groups.
More serious events such as keynote speakers are scheduled between the predominantly fun to remember those who have succumbed to cancer, and listen to the stories of survivors. This year, speakers include University of Alberta cancer survivor Deanna Singhal, professor of psychology. Stories of cancer survival from the U of A show that the disease can affect anyone, and can show students the importance of taking care of overall mental and physical health, Gellner said.
“Being a student sucks. You deal with exams, you deal with breakups, you’re lonely,” Gellner said. “It’s stressful. But it’s so important to just appreciate all the good in your life because you never know what’s going to happen.”
The relay will also include a luminary ceremony, where participants will write the names of those lost to cancer on paper bags, insert an artificial light into the bag and illuminate the gym.
“That usually brings people to tears as well, but it’s one of those moments that needs to happen at the event,” Gellner said.
This will be the fifth year the relay is being held at the U of A, and the only Relay for Life happening in the city this year. Last year, more than 330 Relays for Life across Canada raised $34 million. Those funds go towards research in cancer treatment and prevention, support for those diagnosed with cancer and healthy lifestyle promotion. The fundraising goal for this year’s relay is $20,000.
The practical support services and research funded by the Relay for Life are very important for cancer patients, as simply offering sympathy isn’t very effective, Gellner said. Practical support the Relay for Life advocates for includes driving cancer patients to doctors’ appointments and directing them to resources.
“Cancer doesn’t discriminate against age, race or gender. It doesn’t matter,” Gellner said. “Unfortunately we’re not invincible.”
Including students can be challenging in the Relay for Life due to their typically busy schedules, but those who participate tend to have a good time in team bonding, Gellner said. Traditionally, the relay is held outside and takes 12 hours, but this year’s relay is only six hours.
“Relay is something where you celebrate everybody,” she said. “You kind of appreciate what you do have in life, the people around you.”
Teams are encouraged to sign up in advance of the relay, will run between 6 p.m. and 12 a.m. on Friday, March 11 at the Main Gym. University affiliation is not required for sign-ups.
