Clubs and organizations on campus took part in bringing countries all over the world to the Morrow Field House on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for “Around the World”-themed Relay for Life.
Relay for Life was put on by the Colleges Against Cancer club on campus to raise money for American Cancer Society and support fighters, honor survivors and remember those who lost their lives to cancer.
Throughout the day, each club sold food from their country, and there were also dodgeball tournaments, games and performances.
Michelle Weller, senior music therapy major, performed “Carry your Candle, Go Light Your World” by Chris Bryce during the Luminaria ceremony at 7 p.m., where candles were lit to remember lost fighters.
“I’ve been involved with music all my life,” Weller said. This is Weller’s sixth time doing Relay For Life.
“Both my parents are survivors. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and my dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2010. They are both healthy now and doing really well,” Weller said.
“The year that my mom was diagnosed was when I started [doing Relay],” Weller said.
Weller currently does clinical at the children’s hospital and following graduation, she will be interning in the greater Pittsburgh area to do music therapy with people on hospice.
Weller often performs and sings at mass for Rock Catholic, churches, church camps, in high school and will perform at the opera coming up. This was her first time performing at Relay for Life.
Weller helped to represent the Musical Therapy Club at Relay. Their club represented Japan and sold ‘candy sushi’ made of Rice Krispies and Fruit Roll Ups.
Other clubs involved were the Chemistry Club, who represented Italy and sold cannolis, the Honors Program, who represented America and sold lemonade and played cornhole, and fraternities, sororities and other academic and social clubs.
At the end of the day, the joined effort of clubs all over campus raised over $23,000 for American Cancer Society, and the number is still growing, according to Dallas Kline, the publicity chair for Colleges Against Cancer.
