Fundraising efforts are underway as Carleton University prepares for its twelfth annual Relay for Life event. Carleton Relay, a year-long campaign raising funds for the Canadian Cancer Society, culminates in an annual celebratory event in March. 

Since registration first opened in November, more than 100 participants have signed up. Participants can register in teams of five to 15 members, and have until March to raise funds towards their goal. 

In 2019, Carleton surpassed its fundraising goal by raising a combined $1 million since first launching the event in 2009, and is the first post-secondary institution to raise that amount.

Rose Danen, a third-year journalism student and co-chair of the Carleton Relay for Life planning committee, said Carleton has had a longstanding relationship with Relay. 

“We’ve really grown to be quite the event. We have a really, really amazing base that supports us and that helps come back year after year to support this cause,” she said. 

Although the event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, Danen said this year, the planning committee is in the process of organizing a virtual event. Instead of the usual 12-hour sleepover, Relay will be taking place March 12-14 entirely online, through platforms like Zoom, Twitch and YouTube.

At Carleton, the community support surrounding Relay is one of the highlights of the entire event, Danen said. 

“It’s so obvious how much people care and how much they’re all in it together and it’s the thing that keeps bringing me back, year after year,” she said, adding the fight against cancer involves everyone. 

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, nearly 1 in 2 Canadians are expected to develop cancer sometime during their lifetime. 

“It’s been a long fight, and I relay because I don’t want my children or my grandchildren to have to relay. I want there to be a cure for cancer and that’s my motivation,” Danen said. 

Brandon Long has been taking part in Relay for Life for the past few years. [Photo provided by Brandon Long].
Brandon Long, a fifth-year global and international studies student and captain of his Relay team, has participated in Relay for the past few years as part of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity team. Long said fundraising entirely online this year has posed new challenges. 

“In the past, we’ve been able to hold events and that sort of thing. This year, it’s a lot more just me reaching out to family, friends, the same people who I’ve contacted over the last few years,” he said.   

This year, Long has set his fundraising goal at $3,000 and has so far raised almost $600. 

“It is a little ambitious given the state of things. But either way, whether we’re able to reach those goals or not, every dollar makes a difference,” he said. 

The team effort that goes into Relay is what makes the event so special, Long said. 

“I don’t like to see myself as necessarily part of one team, it’s kind of like all of the Carleton body that comes together. It’s really special what we can do as a collective,” he said. 

Relay teams are often made up of student clubs, sports teams, and Greek organizations, which play a huge role in Relay. This year, nine out of the 13 teams registered so far are fraternities or sororities.

Alex Tassoni, a second-year criminology student and captain of the Delta Phi Epsilon (DPHIE) Relay team, said Relay plays an integral part in the philanthropic and community aspects of being a DPHIE sister.  

Greek organizations play a huge part in Relay for Life every year, organizer say. [Photo provided by Brandon Long].
“It’s kind of like a give and take,” Tassoni said. “We take from the experience that it’s an amazing charity to support, the Canadian Cancer Society is amazing, Relay for Life is empowering.”

“But it also benefits us in our own DPHIE standing, and our own philanthropic requirements for the year,” she added.

The hopeful atmosphere around Relay is even more impactful during COVID-19, Tassoni said, when lockdown and stay-at-home orders can be isolating and damaging to mental health.

“I think that just by being a part—even if it’s just a Zoom call—of a larger community that knows what you’re going through, that’s experienced some of the loss that you have, is really important,” she said. 

Tassoni said her experience losing two people to cancer who were close to her at a young age is what motivates her. 

“I know they would have wanted us to keep going. They wouldn’t have wanted me and my friends or me and my family to just give up,” she said. 

With registration for Relay ongoing, Tassoni said she encourages more students to get involved and participate in this year’s fundraiser. 

“You just can’t help but feel good and feel empowered and feel hopeful that one day, we will live in a world where there isn’t cancer,” she said.

Featured image provided by Rose Danen.

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