RELAY FOR LIFE

'Relay For Life' (often shortened to 'Relay') is a fundraising event of the American Cancer Society, and is now held in many other countries. It is an overnight event designed to spread awareness of cancer prevention, treatments and cures, celebrate survivorship and raise money for research to find more cures for cancer.

Contents

History

Features

Branding

Online

Links

References

History

Relay For Life was started in May 1985 in Tacoma, Washington. Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon, spent 24 hours circling the track at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma. He raised $27,000 for cancer research.^[1]
In 1999, the Relay For Life of Virginia Beach, VA was the first to raise $1 million in a single fundraising year.
The scale of Relay is now enormous. In 2006, over three million people took part in more than 4,600 Relays in the USA alone. Over half a million cancer survivors walked the opening lap, a traditional part of all Relays, and over $375 million was raised, making it by far the biggest single fundraising activity in the world.
Today, the largest Relay For Life event in the world is the Relay For Life of Gwinnett County, GA. They raise over $2.5 million annually. Additionally, the largest collegiate Relay For Life is that of Washington University in St. Louis, which in March of 2007 raised $311,767.
In 2005, the UK had 15 Relays and raised over £359,000. In 2006, over 40 Relays were planned. This expansion is set to continue in 2007.
In 2007, the first ever Youth Relay For Life was hosted at the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia.

Features

Although all Relays vary, there are a few common features:

★ An opening ceremony followed by a Survivors Lap

★ A ceremony emphasizing "hope" and celebrating "cure"; this is variously called Luminaria, the Candle of Hope, or other names

★ A closing ceremony, including one last lap around the track in which everyone takes part.
In 2007, the "closing ceremony" in most Relay communities will be renamed the "Fight Back Ceremony." During this ceremony, Relay For Life participants will FIGHT cancer by making a pledge to help rid the world of the disease. Pledges can range from personal health decisions to helping others learn about cancer. This new ceremony is part of the new slogan and core values of Relay For Life: "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back."

Branding

Although the event name is commonly written out by participants and journalists as "Relay for Life" with a lowercase ''f'', the name on all official Relay For Life merchandise and information contains an uppercase ''F'' for branding purposes. This branding is ever important to the American Cancer Society. As a non-profit organization with limited resources, the American Cancer Society continues to promote its brands through fundraising and awareness.

Online

Relay has been exported to the online virtual world Second Life.^[2]
In 2007, Relay For Life volunteers worldwide were able to begin sharing ideas with each other on a support site listed at RelayForLife.org.This site is very helpful for common purposes.
After the Virginia Tech Massacre, shooting victim Caitlin Hammaren's Relay for Life online donation page was still active. When it was publicized on MSNBC's Clicked blog the donations went from about $100 to many thousands.

Links

★ American Cancer Society Relay For Life

★ Official Relay For Life Website

★ Relay For Life Videos on YouTube

★ Relay For Life Volunteer Photo Pool on Flickr

★ Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life

★ Cancer Research UK Relay For Life

★ Team MOA - New Zealand Relay For Life

References

1. http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/about
2. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/content/GI_1_8_Second_Life_Relay.asp