Relay for Life is a signature event organized around American Cancer Society. The event is an overnight community fundraising walk that helps raise funds for the prevention and detection of cancer. Members of each team take turns walking together.

At Kean University, Relay for Life is on Friday, April 1, 2016, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Harwood Arena. For five hours, students, staff, faculty and alumni take part in the food, games, activities and most importantly, the walk.

A nationwide campaign, Relay for Life began years ago with Dr. Gordy Klatt. In May 1985, he walked and ran for 24 hours around a track in Tacoma, Washington. As a result, he raised $27,000 to help the American Cancer Society. The next year, in 1986, 340 supporters joined the overnight event. As time progressed, the event ultimately became what it is today. Funds for Relay for Life have always supported the nation’s biggest health concern, cancer.

Adriana Moran, junior marketing major, expresses why it’s a celebrated event at Kean University.

“This [Relay for Life] is a great opportunity for the Kean University [community] to come together as a community to support those who have been effect by cancer.”

Student Government has been the lead organizer of the event at Kean University. This year, it hopes to raise $27,500 toward the fight.

Moran states, “It is important to have events like Relay for Life within the Kean Community. Not only does it bring all organizations and clubs together to an amazing event to achieve a common goal of raising money for research, we are also gather[ing] because we know that this goal cannot be achieved alone.”

Where Relay for Life is concerned, there are two distinct categories of people: the supporters and the supported. The supporters aren’t always directly affected by cancer or exposed to it, but they show their support in various ways.

The most common form of support is to start a new team or join an existing team. People can also get involved by becoming a committee member, donating, advocating or volunteering; volunteers frequently help stuff envelopes and set up the day of the event.

Beyond that, people can purchase luminaries to remember loved ones lost to cancer and to honor those who were and are currently fighting the disease. Each form of support is valuable to the cause in its own distinct way.

The supported are those who have been diagnosed or experienced cancer in some way firsthand during their lifetime. For them, Relay for Life is tremendously beneficial.

Often times, the supporters and the supported have close relationships and that drives their participation and support.

Moran states, “I am participating in Relay for Life because I personally have been affected by cancer. My father has been diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer [in] fall 2015. This philanthropy hits close to home with me and most of the members of Theta Phi Alpha.”

Even people who have been fortunate enough to be far from cancer understand the importance behind the event, and still contribute their time and energy.

Moran, who is President of the Beta Omega chapter of Theta Phi Alpha, references her sorority as one support group that is close to the cause. Theta Phi Alpha is one Kean University team that has consistently participated for the last couple years.

Moran states, “Most sisters have been affected by cancer that is why we really try to raise as much money as we can to find a cure for cancer.”

Outside of their individual experiences with cancer, the sorority itself had an unforgettable one in their past. Years ago they lost one of their sisters, Megan Beck, to a rare form of cancer.

Moran states, “Theta Phi Alpha consistently participates in Relay for Life because we want to make progress toward a world without cancer. We are dedicated to fund-raise in efforts to the fight against the disease. We aren't just fighting one type of cancer we're fighting for every person threatened by every cancer in every community. Every person in Theta Phi Alpha who participates in Relay for Life takes pride in knowing that they are working to create a world where this disease will no longer threaten our loved ones.”

After Beck’s passing, a memorial scholarship was started in honor of her. Memorial scholarships are offered each year to students in memory of a late Kean University faculty or student body member.

The Megan Beck Memorial Scholarship is one of the Student Organization-endowed and annual scholarships. Those particular scholarships are awarded to full-time undergraduates with a minimum 3.0 GPA who have completed at least of 18 credits at Kean University. Typically, scholarship winners are students with financial need who demonstrate good character and are active leaders within the Kean community.

Since those first steps made by Dr. Klatt, the Relay For Life movement has grown into a worldwide phenomenon as one of the largest cancer support networks in the world. It is an atmosphere of hope, progress and awareness.

With very simple criteria, Relay for Life is a family-friendly environment for the entire community. This maximizes the fundraising efforts by allowing any and every one to participate. Relay for Life is a very fun way to combat a very serious illness. The funds and support raised during the event are critical to creating a better world without cancer.

To make a tax-deductible donation or to register as a participant, please go to www.relayforlife.org/keanunivnj.

If there are any questions, please e-mail keanstudentgov@kean.edu, call (908) 737-5250 or visit Miron Student Center room 304.