College unites to fight cancer

Author: Afsana Liza

At 3 p.m. on a bright, sunny Friday afternoon, a huge crowd of Middlebury College students, faculty and townspeople gathered together to fight cancer as a unified force.

Energetic event coordinators and helpers set up tents, tables, food and entertainment for participants for the all-night event, which lasted until 9:30 a.m. on April 26. This was the College's fifth year participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which were held on the athletic fields behind the Kevin P. Mahaney '84 Center for the Arts.

Relay For Life is an overnight fundraiser event that allows community members to celebrate cancer survivors and remember those who have lost their lives to cancer, while still reminding those who fight that there is hope.

"The event is one of the three largest student-run organizations on campus," said event coordinator Heather Neuwirth '08. "It is coordinated by a 60-person committee."

Last year, Middlebury College was the top youth Relay in New England, raising a total of $227,773. The College hosted 87 teams, gathered 952 participants and a total of 46 survivors. Each team raised on average more than $2,700. While this year's fundraising total is still being tallied, event coordinator Josh Chan '08 believed that "over $150,000 was raised with more than 800 participants and 69 teams." Chan estimated that the College has raised over $650,000 in the past four years.

This year's Relay For Life featured a Luminaria Ceremony meant to signify hope, an empowering Survivor Lap and a Drum Circle performance. The event's opening guest speaker was Amelia Claringbould '08, a cancer survivor who discussed the importance of cherishing the important matters in life. Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Laura Basili read a poem and Provost and Executive Vice President Alison Byerly made several remarks.

The theme of this year's relay was "Time Warp to a Future Without Cancer." For this theme, nearly every hour had its own theme lap from a "Toga, Toga, Toga Lap" to a "'50s Grease Lap" and even a "We love the '80s Lap." To keep children and participants entertained, "Three-Legged Race Laps," "Couple/Marriage Laps" and other quirky, festive laps were scheduled.

Many teams in the Relay had campsites set up for the night. Many teams consisted of people from the town of Middlebury as well.

Cancer survivor and town resident Kathy Sagendore was quite pleased with the high turnout from the College.

"It's so empowering to see everyone come together for such an amazing cause on a beautiful day," said Sagendore. "I have been fighting cancer for the past seven years and have been participating in the Relay for the past three years. It's an incredible tradition for my family."

In addition to the participants from town, a number of varsity athletes also joined Relay, including swimmers and players from the softball and football teams.

Relay participant Alexandra Bertagnolli '10 was eager to engage in the event for her second year.

"I feel really this is an amazing cause," said Bertagnolli. "One of my friends asked me to be captain, and I'm so glad I took the position. It's been a great team project and it is so empowering for everyone to be here together."

Event participants were eager to see the traditional Luminaria Ceremony. The luminaria are small paper bags that lined the walking pathways with each of the bags filled with sand and includ a small, glowing candle. Each bag's exterior bore the name of someone who had at one point battled cancer.

"One of my favorite parts of the event is the Luminaria," said Lauren Redfield '11, "because of the impressive scene they create once they are lit."

The luminaria continued to burn into the night, lighting the way for the walkers along the laps, signifying a path of hope. It created a truly remarkable scene as participants, survivors and children walked along the lighted pathways to fight cancer.

To further motivate participants throughout the all-night event, entertainment was provided throughout the evening by several of the College's dance and a cappella singing groups. Performances included those from the Drum Circle, On Tap, Riddim Dance Troupe, the Mamajamas, Bobolinks and the Mischords. The music, food and festivities allowed for a truly community-affirming event that paid a tribute to the many lives lost to cancer.

"Cancer is a really personal issue," said Melissa Hirsch '11. "Relay for Life is something big and positive that a lot of people can be involved in. It's an amazing unifying force that allows us to fight this together."