On April 21, the Interfraternity Council will be hosting the Relay for Life, a program of the American Cancer Society, which will mark the conclusion of FYE’s Community Service Week.
The overnight event celebrates cancer survivorship and raises money to fund cancer research, education, and patient support programs.
Santosh Vaghela, the IFC President, indicated that the fundraising goal of $40,000 has already been exceeded and as of this past Tuesday, the relay has raised $45,483. This makes RPI the largest contributor in the tri-state region for schools of its size category and the third largest nationally.
The relay itself is a 13-hour event that will feature film showings, food vendors, live entertainment, visits from cancer survivors, and other events.
Vaghela described the relay as a “community event of remembrance and celebration.” These events will all take place around the relay itself, which involves at least one member of each team walking at any given time during the event. Each team is made up of eight to 15 people from RPI or the nearby community. Currently, RPI’s relay has close to 60 teams participating, with more expected before the relay begins.
Though the event is coming up in a little less than a month, Vaghela invited anyone who was interested to help the steering committee (which meets every Tuesday to discuss progress) with preparations for the event.
The IFC has already invited President Jackson and visited the Troy City Council to invite the mayor’s office as well as police and firefighters.
To get involved in the Relay itself, anyone can simply create a team at the Relay for Life website at http://acsevents.org/relay/ny/rpi/. There is a $10 initial registration fee, which covers the event overhead and also buys a Relay t-shirt.
Once a team of at least 10 people has been gathered, team members reach out to friends, family, and community members to obtain donations which may be made in cash, check, or online payment.
