Relay for Life gave Joi Brewer hope.

Brewer has survived cervical cancer for 31 years and was sent into surgery within weeks of being diagnosed.

“It brings hope to people who are living with cancer,” Brewer said of Relay for Life.

Relay for Life at Eastern was held on April 18 and 19 at the Lantz Fieldhouse, from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday. Tents, blankets, and sleeping bags were set up all over the fieldhouse for overnight participants.

Relay for Life is an event that brings families, friends, students, staff and the community together to celebrate, remember, and fight back against cancer.

Teams are created for the event and participate in a 12-hour walk-a-thon to raise money for cancer awareness and research.

This is the fifth year Eastern has hosted a Relay for Life event.

An open lap was held at 6 p.m. for the 12 survivors present. As the survivors walked, the crowd cheered for them, some cheering with tears.

The goal for the 2008 Relay for Life was to raise $50,000, have 50 teams and 25 survivors. The organizers of the event exceeded both their monetary and team goals, with 55 teams participating.

A total of $57,323.13 was raised, with Kappa Omicron Nu as the team that raised the most. Last year, $43,281.27 was raised.

Ashley Wozniak, a freshman special education major, decided to join a team that her residence hall put together. She joined team Carman Chicks with fifteen other girls from the seventh floor of Carman Hall.

“My mom is a cancer survivor of a few years and it’s something that has affected my family,” Wozniak said.

Events at Relay for Life included root beer pong, Tie Dye T-shirts, Karaoke, games, live music, twister, bingo and line dancing.

“I feel it is very beneficial to have this event on campus,” said Jennifer Baebler, president of Colleges Against Cancer. “It brings together all sorts of people and organizations that normally would not hang out or associate.”

Baebler looked forward to seeing everyone having fun and not realizing they were actually volunteering.

“Sure it’s a long time to volunteer – 12 hours to be exact – but you don’t even realize that you are volunteering or doing something that helps out thousands of people,” Baebler said.

A Luminaria ceremony took place at 9:30 p.m. as well.

The Luminaria ceremony is in honor of loved ones and friends who have had cancer.

A luminaria is a lit candle or glow stick within a small paper bag, each of which has a name on it. Luminarias were $5 each, and the money went towards Relay for Life.

“This event is good because we are young and we all know someone that has cancer, and it’s our way to help them,” Wozniak said.

EIU raised a total of $57,323.13

Top raising team was Kappa Omicron Nu with $3,315

These people donated $1,000 individually to the event:

Dr. Kathleen O’Rourke

Matt Thompson

Meredith Stewart

Katie Selander

Sponsors for the event: Wal-Mart, American Cancer Society, University Board, Wave Graphics, Gentry Small Engine Repair, You Look Marvelous, AMP, American Beauty Hair Studio, Razors Edge, What’s Cookin’, Panther Catering, and Ameren UE, St. Louis Cardinal’s, Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, Campus Scheduling, Kathy Cartwright, Andrew’s Hall 428, Adirian’s Inc., Family Video, Papa Murphy’s, Big Tony’s Pizza, and Monical’s.

Brittni Garcia can be reached at 581-7942 or at bmgarcia@eiu.edu.

Cancer survivors walk the first lap at Friday’s Relay For Life in Lantz Fieldhouse. (Karla Browning/The Daily Eastern News)

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