Brittany Westerberg

The American Cancer Society hosts Relay For Life events all over the nation. Now for the first time, SDSU will host one.

SDSU’s Chapter of the American Cancer Society Colleges Against Cancer is hosting a Relay For Life event on April 20-21 at Sexauer Field on campus.

“Relay For Life is a celebration of life, in honor and in memory of those whose lives have been touched by cancer,” said Molly Fendrich, a junior human development and family studies major. Fendrich is also the president of SDSU’s chapter of the CAC, which is a nationwide team of college students and staff that are committed to eliminating cancer by setting up and supporting American Cancer Society programs on college campuses.

The theme for the Relay For Life event is “Shout For a Cure,” and people are encouraged to wear SDSU apparel. The event begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, but a meal, with a $3 donation, will be served at 5 p.m. The event will last until 6 a.m. the next morning. Teams of eight to 20 people will take turns walking or running around the SDSU Sexauer Field track throughout the night. All donations will go the American Cancer Society to fund their efforts to battle this disease.

“Relay For Life is an awareness raiser about the progress against cancer as much as it is a fundraiser,” said Katie Oravetz, community relations staff for the American Cancer Society. “Individuals who are willing to give their time and energy to this exciting event, as a volunteer or a participant, have made a commitment to fight back against this disease and let the community know that you can beat cancer.”

It’s estimated that 555,500 Americans die every year from cancer. That equals out to about 1,500 deaths per day, or about the entire enrollment of SDSU in less than two weeks.

For more information, go to www.acsevents.org/relay/sd/sdsu, or you can contact the Colleges Against Cancer Relay For Life committee at [email protected] or (605) 688 -3648.