Last April, Ashland University and Colleges Against Cancer held its inaugural Relay for Life. According to Aubrey Shirley, a member of Colleges Against Cancer, there were 14 teams, around 260 participants, and $9,664 was raised for the American Cancer Society.

“I felt as a starting event, it was a seed,” Jeff Pinnick, the entertainment coordinator for last year’s event at AU, said. “It was important to hold the event so this year’s teams and committees can build.” While Shirley says that expectations weren’t met during last year’s event, she thinks that this year’s event will be bigger and better than the previous year.

“Our main goals this year were to have more teams than last year, raise more money, and get the campus more involved in the relay,” Amanda Januzzi, chair of this year’s event said. According to Januzzi, the amount of teams is already up from the 14 teams last year to 20 teams this year.

To get the campus more involved and informed, Colleges Against Cancer held a relay kickoff during the fall semester. They also recently held a relay rally that included a captain’s walkthrough to get team captains familiar with how the event is going to be run. With increased publicity and student involvement, the relay has already raised more money than last year.

This year, the theme for Relay for Life is “Gettin’ Around For A Cure.” Each team has picked a country and will decorate their campsite to create a multicultural atmosphere. The entertainment committee has planned activities such as a Miss Relay Pageant, volleyball tournament, dodgeball tournament, giant twister, Relay’s Got Talent, karaoke, ceremonies, themed laps, and more.

The AU Relay for Life will be held Saturday, April 2 at 9 a.m. through Sunday, April 3 at 3 a.m. in the Rec Center. For more information on the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life, you can visit www.relayforlife.org.