Clubs and organizations around campus have rallied together within the past few months in order to raise money for this year's Relay for Life, to be held in Alumni Arena from 7 p.m. Friday, to 7 a.m. Saturday morning.
Hosted for the third year in a row by UB, efforts are being made to make it an even larger event than last year.
"Everyone in the group has been touched by cancer in one way or another, plus it's a really good cause," said Kat McDonald, a senior psychology major and president of the undergraduate psychology club.
To raise more than last year's contribution of $3,000, the undergraduate psychology club raffled off an autograph picture of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller weekdays in the Student Union, for the cost of $2 a ticket. They also sought monetary donations from family and friends.
"It's really cool to see more people in the group get involved in fundraising," McDonald said. "It's really amazing how far we've come."
While those participating in Relay for Life are mostly clubs and organizations, individuals can participate as well. The only requirement is a mandatory $10 fee, which provides each participant with a free Relay for Life T-shirt.
Each year Relay for Life adopts a different theme, and the groups participating usually decorate their stands to match. This year's theme is Hollywood.
"Our event is going to be a Star Wars theme," McDonald said. "We were thinking of doing a jousting competition or something fun like that."
Other groups are raising money for academic reasons. Chris Clarke, a business administration major, entered Relay for Life with his classmates for a project assigned in his marketing strategies class.
"Each group was given chocolates to sell in order to raise money for their cause," Clarke said. "Relay for Life just seemed like a good choice."
The class diligently sold candy bars in the Student Union from March 8 to March 20. They also decided to get the local community involved, calling local businesses to ask them to donate money for the event.
"Most of them were very willing to donate money and already we've raised a couple hundred dollars from the chocolates alone," Clarke said.
Clarke's group will also be holding an event during the walk, raffling off various prizes.
"Even if it is just a couple of dollars, every donation counts," McDonald said. "I think that we are raising more money this year in terms of personal donations alone than we have previous years."
"More people are just more aware of the Relay for Life and what it stands for. They're more willing to give up their time and money to help," she said.
Psi Chi has been jointly raising money with the undergraduate psychology association to help their cause on March 1. They held a fundraiser at Cold Stone Creamery with all the proceeds going towards Relay for Life.
Businesses such as AT&T, Best Buy and Bank of America are only some of the companies that were quick to lend their money to the cause. Already, a running total of $33,802 has been raised for the event.
"Students shouldn't ignore such a great cause," McDonald said. "Participating in the walk has provided me with some great memories and it makes me feel like I'm really making a difference."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
