Friday night, over 500 UB students got very little sleep.
That might not sound strange for a college weekend, but for these students, staying up all night had nothing to do with either partying or studying.
UB's first ever Relay For Life, an all-night fundraiser for cancer research, drew over 500 UB community members from their usual weekend activities to raise $50,000 at Alumni Arena. The event began Friday night and ended Saturday morning.
Although it was the first time UB hosted the event, the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life has become, over the years, one of the largest global fundraisers. According to organizers, the event is meant to celebrate cancer survivors while also raising funds for research and other cancer programs.
Jennifer Morales, a UB alumnus and event organizer, said the night was also about remembering those who did not survive their fights with cancer.
"Relay For Life is a way to make sure those who lost their battle to cancer won't be forgotten, those who won their battle are celebrated, and those fighting cancer will be supported," Morales said.
Participants organized themselves into teams for the event, fundraised prior to the night and then pulled an all-nighter to walk the track in Alumni.
"Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times," Morales said.
Walking the track all night symbolized the never-ending battle many cancer patients face.
"Cancer doesn't sleep, so why should we?" Morales said.
Michelle Dirmyer, a graduate assistant and chairperson of the event, said although it is new to UB, Relay for Life has a long history and has participants worldwide.
"Relay For Life started over 20 years ago in Tacoma, Wash., when one doctor ran for 24 hours. It is now the American Cancer Society's top fundraising event, and there are over 13 relays in Western New York alone," Dirmyer said.
To keep the participants motivated and awake throughout the night, there were many things for them to do other than walk or run the track, including music, food, games, volleyball and yoga.
Many of the participants said were either directly affected by cancer or had family and friends who were cancer patients, which was a major motivator for their involvement.
"I know many people have had family members who have had cancer, and decided to get involved because of that reason," Morales said.
Members from throughout the UB community came out to participate and support North Campus' first Relay for Life.
"We had Greek organizations, Student Associations, the Leadership Development Center, Mortar Board, and many other individual staff and students come out for the event," Dirmyer said.
The event was very successful, according to organizers.
"We raised almost $50,000," Morales said. "We are going to continue our fundraising through August."
Dirmyer said she hopes to make Relay For Life an annual event at UB.
"We hope that this was successful enough to warrant this event coming back every year," Dirmyer said.
