Madison Schettler | Contributing Editor
On Saturday October 14, the Salve community came together for the annual Relay for Life. This event is a community-based, community-run fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Relays are held across the country to honor survivors, remember those who have been lost to cancer, and to raise money for the American Cancer Society’s fight against the disease. Twenty-four teams participated in the Salve Relay, raising a total of $13,834. Juniors Joining the Fight, Committee for a Cure and SRU Dance were the top three fundraising teams.
One participant, Morgan Pierce ’21 says she decided to relay with the education team because she “really wanted to do [her] part as a Salve student to raise awareness and just show support for those who are battling cancer and who’ve survived cancer as well as to honor those who have lost their lives to cancer.” Pierce says that this cause is especially close to her heart because she has “family members who have cancer, and [she] just wanted to show support for them and show them that I’m on their side.” Pierce was the sixth highest fundraiser for the event, and the top fundraiser on her team. To raise money, she decided to use social media to fundraise because she thought it would be the best way to get the word out about her cause. At the event, teams walked together and listened to cancer survivors who explained their journeys and how they survived cancer.
Pierce explained that the event felt important because, “in our society today, we go about our daily lives and we’re just so focused on the future… we don’t often stop and think about what’s really happening in our world, and cancer’s something that a lot of people face. Nothing will really change until we come together and try to do something about it.” She also explains that Relay is important because it shows support and awareness in addition to raising money, because “people don’t realize that you don’t have to give money, you can just raise awareness, or even just tell someone you know that has cancer, ‘hey I’m really rooting for you, I’m praying for you,’ which can really help them get through what they need to get through.” The Relay for Life was a great show of support from the Salve community, and an example of people coming together to make a difference.
