SUNY Geneseo's Relay for Life event to benefit the American Cancer Society continues to be among the most successful in the country.
GENESEO, N.Y. – Geneseo students raised $162,208 in last weekend’s Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser that supports the American Cancer Society. The student-run 24-hour event in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena is packed with activities and speakers and helps not only to raise money for cancer research but also to sustain services for cancer patients.
“This was the largest and most impactful Relay for Life event to date,” said Grace Rowan, a senior from East Northport, N.Y., and president of Geneseo’s Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) organization. “During the Remember Ceremony, everyone took a silent lap around the track in memory of those who lost their battle with cancer. This was the first year that we could not fit all participants on the track due to the increase in attendance. During this time, all students were silent and respectful as they came to a standstill. Prior to the lap, we ask all students to stand when they hear how they have been affected by cancer and to stand for their reason to Relay.”
Geneseo’s event ranks as the largest in the Rochester area for fundraising and is among the largest such events in the country in support of Relay for Life.
Geneseo’s Colleges Against Cancer organization has 66 committee members, 18 chairs and eight executive board members. Patty Hamilton-Rodgers, sponsored research associate, is CAC adviser. The CAC staff partner from the American Cancer Society is alumnus Jordan Cimilluca ’15.