Photo courtesy Sarah Fryefield ‘16

Relay for Life, an event focused on cancer awareness, has raised more money so far this year than they have in the last four years of its existence.

As of printing, 23 teams and 250 participants have donated $22,405.58 worth of funds. Last year, participants raised $8,540, with $13,000 being raised in 2012, $14,987 in 2011, and $14,847 in 2010.

Co-president of Colleges Against Cancer at Lafayette organized Relay for Life. Co-President Sarah Fryefield ‘16 said one of the main reasons the organization received an unprecedented amount of donations was due to a competition between Greek chapters seeing who could raise the most money.

“[The competition] definitely had a huge impact [on getting so many donations],” Fryefield said. “The Greek chapters raised probably around two-thirds of the money.”

Tri Delta won the competition and was presented with a $300 award on the night of the Relay for Life event.

Relay for Life was held last Friday from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., with different ceremonies interspersed throughout the event, each representing a different stage in a patient’s fight against cancer. One of them was a Luminaria ceremony, where participants can dedicate a Luminaria bag for someone close to them who has passed away from cancer. The ceremonies are meant to represent a day in the life of someone who is fighting cancer, symbolizing that “cancer never sleeps,” Fryefield said.

Fryefield said that through Relay for Life, the Lafayette community has the chance to unite in support for victims of cancer.

“Everyone knows someone or knows someone who has known someone who has cancer,” she said. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where it’s just very prevalent. And so I think that’s why it was a really big success this year because we stressed to all the different groups on campus that we were able to reach that everyone can come together and support each other over this one thing.”

She also said that organizing Relay for Life and being the co-president of Lafayette’s chapter of Colleges Against Cancer is personally significant.

“Towards the end of my senior year of high school my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Fryefield said. “So I knew that I would feel good [participating in Colleges Against Cancer], knowing that I was helping people in situations like my mom and their families because I know what they’ve gone through.”

Donations for Relay of Life will be accepted until August.