Behrend's Relay raises over $7,000

The Relay For Life of Penn State Behrend and Mercyhurst was held on Saturday, February 3 at 6 p.m. in the Junker Center. This event combined the two area schools to promote awareness and raise funds for the American Cancer Society in the hopes of one day eradicating the disease that claims approximately 596,000 lives every year.

​

Relay for Life was founded in May of 1985 by Dr. Gordy Klatt, as it was his mission to raise cancer awareness as well as funds to help aid cancer research. Dr. Klatt spent twenty-four hours on a track in Tacoma, Washington where he raised $27,000 on his own. Since the beginning, as is posted on the Relay for Life website, “[it] has become the largest fundraising event for cancer in the world. Celebrated by more than 4 million people in over 20 countries, this inspirational overnight event empowers and unites local communities to fight cancer.”

​

Allison Altman, an international business engineering and project supply chain management double-major, is the president of Behrend’s Relay for Life club on campus. The event, in the words of Altman, “helps to bring everyone together to remember loved ones lost to cancer, honor survivors, and to raise money to help end cancer once and for all. Every Relay For Life event is different, but it can be anywhere from 6-24 hours long and all teams are asked to have a member walking the track to symbolize that cancer never sleeps.” Additionally, when participants weren’t busy walking the track, they were met with an array of games and activities ranging from life-size checkers and jenga to a “Pie-in-the-Face” table.

​

Relay for Life of Penn State Behrend came to fruition in the fall of 2015. Both Altman and her roommate and friend, Emily Brown, started the club with the hope of expanding the organization beyond the small number of students that had already established a small group at Behrend. Altman and Brown decided to take the steps necessary to make it an official on-campus club before Brown graduated in December of that same year.

​

This year, Behrend’s collaboration with Mercyhurst University was deemed successful after more than 130 people showed up to walk and congregate in honor of loved ones who have battled the vicious disease. By Monday, February 5,  $7,205.78 had been raised.

​

According to Altman, the money was raised through the hard work of the students on the committees at both Behrend and Mercyhurst: “The committees went to restaurants and shops to get sponsors/donations, recruited students and faculty on campus to make teams, planned/invented games, made decorations, and planned the day of schedule (speaker, food, entertainment).” Many on-campus entities also played a huge role in the success of this event. Altman added that Behrend’s Relay for Life Vice President, Kate Becker, and Behrend’s Athletic Director, went above and beyond planning the eventing from start to finish.

​

For students interested in joining Behrend’s Relay for Life or for those who wish to find out more about the organization, contact Allison Altman at aealtman47@gmail.com for more information or join the Relay for Life page on the Behrendsync website.