Grand Valley State University is preparing to fight cancer again with the 2013 Relay for Life.

Relay will take place April 12 from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena and is presented by the student organization Colleges Against Cancer.

Within CAC, members are divided into committees, each with a distinct area of concentration and contribution to Relay. Lauren Wagner and Jaimie Chartier are the committee chairs for Service and Survivorship, a committee that, Wagner said, prepares and helps thank the cancer survivors who speak and attend Relay.

“(We) organize the Survivors’ Banquet that happens just before the opening ceremony,” Wagner said. “It is a time for us to celebrate the survivors and their caregivers that are joining us by providing dinner.”

Wagner, a cancer survivor, said she has found a sense of community in CAC and helping with Relay.

“When I returned to GVSU after my treatment, I needed a community to belong to and help me act upon my passion to fight cancer,” Wagner said. “The experience has been incredibly fulfilling.”

She added that she and Chartier “enjoy being able to honor those who have passed and celebrate those who have survived, as well as recognizing the caregivers that dedicate their time to take care of their family members or friends going through cancer.”

During the event, co-chair of the Education and Advocacy Committee Carrie Philion said members will be tabling to offer Relay participants educational information, games and prizes.

For Philion, Relay is a time to remember those affected by cancer while encouraging others to join in the fight.

“I have seen how it affects individuals, such as my best friend’s mom and how it affects their families and friends,” she said. “Remembering and fighting back is important to me, and Relay and CAC allow me to do so.”

The format of the event will stay similar to previous years, with VIP lounges featuring chair massages and a ‘Relay Center’ to reflect the sports theme this year.

Events will begin at 6 p.m. with the opening ceremony, followed by the survivor lap at 6:30 p.m., the caregiver ceremony at 8:30 p.m. and the luminaria ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. Familiar events like minute-to-win-it, the scavenger hunt and the Mr. Relay competition will fill the remainder of the night.

With CAC organizing Relay for Life over the past academic year, Philion said she will enjoy seeing everyone’s hard work come together.

“It’s a chance for everyone to come together for a common cause and that’s powerful,” she said.

Conversations surrounding cancer can be hard, Wagner said, but Relay has allowed for open and helpful communication.

“If you ask, most people have been affected by cancer,” she said. “Relay is a chance for us to come together and share our experiences and emotions on the topic…We are able, as a community, to talk about cancer on a platform that is comfortable and inspiring.”

Miller added that Relay is more of an experience then an event.

“At some point in our lives we will hear the words…’You have…you might have…your loved one has cancer,’” she said. “We hope this is cancer’s last century because we are determined to finish the fight.”
[email protected]