Participants went out in cold weather for Relay For Life
Robert Cargile and Maya Cargile walk at the Relay for Life walk, April 21. They walked in honor of Robert’s father who lost his life last year to cancer. The walk was held at Kent State’s running track. Photo by Emily Martin.
Rain failed to stop groups on campus from setting up tents, walking the Liquid Crystal Small Group Track and selling food, drinks, raffle tickets and other items to raise money for cancer research through the American Cancer Society.
According to Kent State University’s 2012 Relay for Life event page, 1,283 people and 69 teams raised $60,951 at the overnight event on April 21.
The goal was to raise $87,000, according to Kent State’s website for Relay For Life.
People either signed up online or in person at the event to participate. Tents lined the track as people sold food and prizes, shouting things like “Come on! Buy a raffle ticket!” or “Brownies and cookies, 50 cents!”
If participants wandered close enough to a certain tent during their laps, one man shouted, “Donate a dollar, and I’ll finally shut up!”
People wrapped up in hoodies, scarves, gloves and rain jackets walked the track, sold items or just watched various events and groups perform throughout the event.
One such event, Miss Relay 2012, featured men dressed in drag, wearing dresses, wigs and skirts. The men participated in different contests, including a dance-off to Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” and ultimately a race to see who could collect the most money in two minutes.
Miss Dolores, a man dressed as an older woman in a pink sweater vest and matching skirt, won a dance-off to the tune “Teach Me How to Dougie.” Miss Dolores also received a marriage proposal from one of the students in the crowd.
Miss Brittany Goldstein from New York City, wearing a blue and white dress, black boa and black wig, won for the second year in a row.
The Relay also featured decade-themed hours, where laps were accompanied by music from eras like the 1980s and the 1990s.
Other events included the Survivor Lap, during which cancer survivors engage in a victory lap around the track to celebrate their respective triumphs over cancer; a Luminaria Ceremony, during which candles are lit, “each one bearing the name of a person touched by cancer, and participants often walk a lap in silence”; and a Fight Back Ceremony, during which participants make a commitment to fight against cancer.
Contact Alicia Balog at [email protected].