Hope continues to raise cancer awareness

The student-organized Hope College chapter of Colleges Against Cancer will sponsor its 14th annual Relay For Life event on Fri., Nov. 4 starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 7 a.m. on Sat., Nov. 5. It will be held at the Dow Center. Relay For Life is part of a national fundraising initiative for the American Cancer Society. The event invites members of the Hope community to form teams and then walk the Dow Center’s track overnight to raise funds for research, education, advocacy and service in the fight against cancer.

The relay will begin with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m., with cancer survivors and caregivers invited to participate in laps at 7:30 p.m. The event will also include a luminaria ceremony honoring those who have lost their lives and those who are still battling cancer. At 1 a.m. on Sat. Nov. 7, there will be a ceremony emphasizing fighting back against cancer. Closing ceremonies will be held at 6:30 a.m.

Hundreds of students participate in the college’s Relay For Life annually, with more than 640 signed up this year. The 32 teams that have registered include a variety of student organizations. These groups represent academic programs, residence halls, athletics and others who have banded together on behalf of the event.

“I do Relay because cancer effects every persons life in someway,” MacKenzie Andreoli (’18) said. “Whether it’s a family member or friend or a family member of a friend, it touches everyone’s lives. Those people who are sick can’t always get up and raise money or be active. So we do it in for them. Cancer never stops; why should we?”

Relay For Life has grown into a global event that is important to many people at Hope and in the Holland community. Come get involved and support the teams this weekend.