On Friday April, 13th, Colleges Against Cancer hosted their annual Relay for Life—where clubs, sports teams, Greek life, and the Bentley community all came together to fight against cancer. There were tons of activities, including Bra Pong, Knockout, Look Good Feel Better, Jail and Bail, Spikeball, Minute to Win It, frozen t-shirt contest, and much more. A fan-favorite was the therapy dogs, who were so cute as always! It was a great night to celebrate and honor survivors, patients, caregivers, and everyone affected by the nasty disease.
Personally, my favorite part was the Luminaria Ceremony in which the whole room went dark. There was a caregiver speech in which a fellow Bentley student shared her experiences serving as a caregiver—highlighting the profound strength and significance of caregivers. At the same time, there was a screen that was projecting the names of people who have passed from cancer, survived cancer, or currently have cancer. We then lined the track, illuminated with lights and the names of people projected upon the screen. Everyone had glow sticks, and a person spoke into the microphone, “Break your glow stick now if you are here for yourself, break it now if you are here for your mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, friend.” By the end, everyone’s glow sticks were shining bright, which made us realize that we were all there for the same reason. We then began to walk laps around the track in silence. Tears were shed as “Fix You” played, surrounded by people hugging and holding hands. It was truly a beautiful experience that I am grateful to have been a part of.
Dinner was served and was free to people who raised over $100. Burritos, mac and cheese, wings—need I say more? The night ended with a raffle of many good prizes including an iPad, a signed Bruins stick, Bentley Parking passes, Foxwood Resorts Casino passes, Vineyard Vines ties, Soul Cycle gift cards, and many more.
Overall, Relay 2018 was a success! There were well over 600 participants, and Relay for Life of Bentley University raised over $50,000! We’re already counting down until Relay 2019…
All images courtesy of Bentley SP&E