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[/media-credit]An estimated 2,000 University of Wisconsin students and Madison community members gathered Friday evening to support the fight against cancer at the 11th annual Relay for Life event, raising more than $105,000 for the American Cancer Society.
According to Elizabeth Kelly, event co-chair, 108 teams of up to 15 people participated in the walkathon, which ran from Friday night at 6 p.m. until Saturday morning.
"You look around, and it's all these people you never thought you'd be sharing an event with, but everyone's here for the same reason," said Monica Hoffman, current co-president of the UW-Madison chapter of Colleges Against Cancer.
Madison's Relay for Life, this year themed "A Day at the Fair," celebrated the victories of cancer survivors, showed support for those still battling the illness and stood in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones to cancer.
"So many people today have encountered cancer; this is just a great way to show your support," Kelly said.
Others, including Andrea Lemhouse, the captain of the highest-fundraising team, UW Info & Tour Guides, also cited team members' personal experiences with cancer as motivation for their participation.
"A lot of us have had parents or grandparents or friends pass away from cancer or be cancer survivors, so that encouraged a lot of people," Lemhouse said, whose team raised $5,260, while both teams combined from UW Info & Tour Guides raised $6,419.
This year's top individual fundraiser, freshman Molly Boynton, shared a similar story. Boynton, whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2006, raised a total of $3,715, with a majority of online donations.
"I was amazed at the amount even college kids were willing to give," Boynton said. "More than 40 people donated, and it was just nice to see how much support our family has."
According to Kelly, the money donated to Relay for Life is used by the American Cancer Society in education and advocacy programs, cancer research and cancer patient services.
Ashley Halstead, a UW freshman, addressed the attendees during the event's opening, recalling the support she received during her own struggle with cancer.
"This love and support is what you are providing," Halstead said. "By being here today and participating in this relay, you are supporting people you may not know, people you may never meet, but people whose lives may be changed because of what you're doing."
While numerous student organizations sponsored teams in Relay for Life, others — including Tangled Up in Blue, Redefined, Dance Elite and UW Jugglers — provided entertainment.
Throughout the evening, one member of each team walked or ran around the track at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center — what most know as the Shell.
A luminaria ceremony later in the night served as a tribute to those lost to cancer or fighting the disease. Participants could purchase for $5 and decorate luminarias — small, homemade lanterns — and place them around the track.
In addition to luminaria sales, fundraising continued at the event itself in T-shirt sales, donated food sales and donated raffle prizes.
