Service—
UCSB Relay for Life

Dear Students,

Each year cancer will strike over 1.3 million Americans and take more than half a million lives. The Colleges Against Cancer club and the American Cancer Society provide UCSB students the opportunity to save lives and help those already fighting the disease through the Relay for Life event. Relay for Life is a 24-hour walk-a-thon event here on the UCSB campus. The event is a giant celebration of life that offers an entertaining way to raise money for a great cause that affects all of us.

Brit Enos, American Cancer Society intern, Katie LaValley, Colleges Against Cancer President, and Jaimie Thomas, Relay Chair.

This years event is called “The Ultimate Co-Ed Sleepover” and students will form teams throughout the year to compete against each other in overall fundraising and smaller day-of competitions. Carnival games will include; food eating contest, Mr. Relay pageant, slip n’ slide, Project Relay (a spoof on the popular TV show), Rock Star Pong, Karaoke and many many more! The event also includes tons of food, entertainment by local bands, exercise classes, late night movies, silent auction, and raffles. It is truly going to be a day to remember.

Here at UCSB this is the one event that incorporates all aspects of university life. Students from Greek Life, Residential Halls, campus clubs, athletic teams, local businesses, and many more all participate in this day long event together. During the 2007 UCSB Relay for Life, 76 teams joined in on the fun with over 1,000 participants! These enthusiastic participants worked throughout the year raising over $84,000 dollars! This money all goes to cancer research and cancer support programs. This includes funding for Hope Lodge (providing free housing for cancer patients who are undergoing treatment), Look Good, Feel Better (a program that helps patients cope with the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment), early detection, Caregivers Support, and many more programs all crucial to survivors and their loved ones.

Relay for Life participants trying to eat their way to the finish line during the "hands free" donut portion of the food relay.

I personally became involved in Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society in high school. My grandmother had recently passed away from breast/lung cancer and my best friend’s father died suddenly from cancer when she was younger. Together, we decided to form a team called the Sophomore Superheroes and continued the tradition throughout high school. When I came to college, I joined the committee for UCSB’s Relay for Life by complete accident. I came to the meeting planning to form a team and left as Team Captain Coordinator for the entire Relay! I was officially sucked in. For the last two years, I have acted as Relay Chair and with the help of an amazing committee we have expanded the event threefold.

I enjoy Relay for a multitude of reasons. It’s a lot of fun, I love the people I work with, it raises money for a great cause, but on a more personal level, I love Relay because, for a few moments every year, I feel a closeness with my grandmother that I tend to shy away from the rest of the year. During the actual Relay event, I run around all day like a mad man, but during the Luminaria ceremony, where we recognize those we have lost to cancer, I can quietly sit and reflect upon the memories I have and I suddenly feel a strong sense of calm. I know I am not alone as I look upon the thousands of participants, and it just reiterates the importance of this event and our passion for it.

I hope you’ll all be able to join us May 3-4th 2008 for this years Relay for Life. We are currently recruiting teams and committee members to help us with this giant event. It’s a fun way to get involved in this large campus and it’s a great cause to work for! If interested please contact me (this years Relay Chair) at jameskay805@hotmail.com or form your own team at www.events.cancer.org/rflucsantabarbaraca.

Hope to see you all there! Together, we can help the American Cancer Society accelerate the progress toward a cancer-free future.

Sincerely,

Jaimie Thomas

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