The Brandeis chapter of Relay For Life held its annual fundraising event in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center on Saturday, raising over $40,000 for the American Cancer Society. The event ran from 5 p.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Sunday and included performances from dance troupe KAOS Kids, a cappella group Rather Be Giraffes and comedy improv group False Advertising.

The event netted 54 fundraising teams and 638 participants, with 11 teams and 153 registering at the event, according to Talia Holtzman ’16, the chair of Relay’s publicity sub-committee. She noted that the event raised $40,409.54, more than half of the chapter’s goal of $70,000 for the entire year. The chapter’s Relay For Life website, she added, will continue to accept donations until August. In an email to the Justice, Holtzman, who led the charge in raising awareness on campus for the event, added that her work was part of the larger event leadership team — ELT — which was in charge of planning and putting on the event. She noted that this year’s event was particularly moving, writing, “This year, the ceremony was surprisingly emotional. [Interim University President] Lisa Lynch likened Relay For Life to battling cancer because of the importance of having a supportive community.”

Holtzman elaborated that the stories shared during the event’s “celebrate” ceremony — meant to allow survivors and loved ones to share their stories — proved inspirational and emotional to her. For the purposes of Relay, she added, “survivor” is defined as “anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer at any point in their life, whether they are still going through treatment or have been in complete remission for years.”

“The stories [shared during the ceremony] really highlighted the fact that cancer is a disease that does not discriminate,” Holtzman said. She added that she believes this year’s opening ceremony was one of the most well-attended. Another part of the evening that proved particularly memorable, she added, was the Luminaria ceremony, during which participants crack glowsticks and put them in luminaria bags to commemorate loved ones. She emphasized that the overarching theme of the event is one of support and love, which she said was demonstrated clearly during the Luminaria ceremony when “everywhere I turned I saw someone breaking down in tears being supported by friends. During our silent lap around the track and throughout the ceremony participants were holding each others’ hands, had their arms around each other, and were quite literally leaning on their friends for support.”

Reflecting on the aftermath of the event, Holtzman wrote, “We all know someone who has been affected by cancer. I hope that Relay For Life participants leave the event hating cancer just a little bit more, and wanting to do something more to make an impact in the fight against cancer. It could be anything from donating an extra $10 next year, to joining the ELT, to making a career out of it by becoming an oncologist or an American Cancer Society staff partner.”