Sacred Heart University Raises $13K at Annual Relay For Life
The Sacred Heart University community recently raised approximately $13,000 at its 11th annual Relay for Life fundraiser
The walk-a-thon, which took place at the University’s William H. Pitt Center track, generated the money for the American Cancer Society to fund cancer research and assist patients and caregivers. The event also celebrated cancer survivors.
This year’s Hawaiian theme had participants and volunteers dressed in floral, button-down shirts and colorful leis. Booths set up around the track were decorated with grass skirts and inflated palm trees. Personalized luminaria edged the track to honor those who lost their lives to cancer.
Event co-presidents Erica Heins, 21, and Alyssa Pezzella, 21, both of Trumbull, organized the Relay for Life this year after volunteering for the event in the past.
“We wanted to be involved in something,” said Pezzella, a senior majoring in sociology. “We realized how fun it was and how we were doing something for such a good cause.” She observed that Sacred Heart is all about community, and the Relay is an opportunity for the community to get involved in an event that truly affects everyone.
Heins, a senior studying nursing, said she and Pezzella don’t want to just talk about being leaders and volunteering for a good cause; they want to actually do it. “We’re taking what we learn in class and putting it into practice,” she said.
Heins said her favorite aspect of the day was talking to the cancer survivors. “That’s really what today is all about. It’s about sitting down and talking to those who battled cancer or are still battling cancer.”
Alumna Lynsey Richardson ’18 was the keynote speaker and discussed her fight with the disease during the event’s opening ceremonies. Richardson said although cancer has taken much from her life, she’s chooses to look at the positives. “Despite all it took from me, I realized what it had given me,” Richardson said from the podium at the Pitt Center. “It gave me a new look on life…Cancer gave me lifelong friendships and connections with people.”
Battling cancer can be a “dark and scary place” Richardson said, but she doesn’t face anything alone. “I choose to be a warrior,” she said.
Members of The Panhellenic Council, representing SHU’s sororities, decided to get involved in Relay for Life this year, as it occurred in conjunction with Greek Week. “We knew Relay would fit in perfectly with everything else we were doing,” said Hannah Jones, a junior public relations major from Warwick, NY. The group spent the evening walking around the track, alongside students from various other organizations, talking with peers and supporting the cause.
If you are unable to view the images above, visit the Relay For Life 2019 photo gallery on Flickr.