Northwestern University Athletics
NU Athletes Prepare for Relay for Life Event
5/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | General
May 20, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern student-athletes will help in the search for a cancer cure this weekend by participating in NU's second-annual Relay for Life event.
Relay for Life is the focal point for the American Cancer Society, gathering people from all aspects of life to celebrate the fight against the disease. The overnight event features teams joining together to honor cancer survivors and remember those who have died from the disease. Teams take turns walking or running laps, with at least one member of each squad on the track at all times.
Registration begins at 4 p.m., which will be followed by opening ceremonies at 6. There will be a cancer survivor's lap at 6:15, through which local Evanston musician Abe Quigley will be performing various songs tailored for the event.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m., a lighting ceremony called a Luminaria will commence. Wilma Terry, Ms. Illinois U.S. Beauties and breast cancer survivor, will speak regarding her personal experiences with cancer and how proceedings such as Relay for Life greatly aid in finding a cure.
Capping off the Luminaria, members of Seyfarth-Shaw Attorneys will be lighting the word "hope" in the lakeside grandstand, signifying that the path to a cure is lighted with hope.
For the remainder of the night, members will take part in various games and contests such as the three-legged potato sack chase and relay races of all sorts.
The entire Relay for Life event will conclude Saturday at 7:30 a.m., with the closing ceremonies. By that time, NU athletes and other Relay for Life participants will hopefully have surpassed last year's mark of raising $38,127.
You can access more information regarding Relay for Life by going to the American Cancer Society and clicking on "Relay for Life."
