Last Saturday, April 29, West Chester University hosted Relay For Life, a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The event sponsored a lot of different clubs and organizations, all with different backgrounds, that came together for the sole purpose of generating wealth and awareness that will benefit those suffering from cancer, as well as helping to fund cancer research.
The event was held in Hollinger Gym, with the entire floor being dedicated to different organizations setting up their tables and having fun events or promotional items to help to bring people together, and fun games as well for any age.
There was a DJ at the front of the room, along with a seat allowing people to donate hair–many of which were getting very amusing haircuts. Along the outsides of the room, there were tables from anything including organizations within the school, along with sponsors from around the town of West Chester, and even national sponsors that are coupled with the American Cancer Society.
A notable performance was by the improv group halfway through the day. The performance was entertaining, allowing the audience to interact constantly and change the course of the story. The students found themselves as exes hanging out at olive garden, to middle school children playing Pokémon, to everything in between. The performance went on and everyone had a great time, all the while also being able to watch the haircuts in the background.
I had a very special way to be involved with Relay For Life, as I was involved with setting up an organization table for Amazon Prime. Being able to get there and help to set up my table along with other organizations was a cool way to get to see the behind the scenes of the Relay For Life, and being able to talk with people about their personal involvement with Relay For Life, as well as how cancer had impacted their life, was eye opening and really changed my outlook on my own life.
Being able to set it up and interact with people all day, and hearing their stories was awesome and it was something that I am glad I did, as well as I wish many others could see. Many times in our lives I believe that people, including myself, will over react to things, or get way to caught up in our own lives that we forget how lucky we truly are just to be alive and healthy, and have our loved ones alive and healthy too. After helping to volunteer at Relay for Life, it was an awesome experience that really changed the way I look at a lot of things. It made me realize how lucky I truly am just to have the opportunity to be here at school, go to class, and even how lucky I am to have the opportunity to take tests, or stress about finding a job.
Being at Relay for Life was an awesome experience that I highly recommend to everyone. Not only to just attend, but to get involved in! It is an experience that I will not soon forget.
Each year, more than 5,000 events take place in well over 20 different countries around the globe. The events are organized by the local volunteer relay chapters.
Alex Libutti is a fourth-year student majoring in communication studies with a minor in journalism. He can be reached at AL803657@wcupa.edu.