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Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students and members of the surrounding community gathered on Friday, April 25 with a common goal in mind: to help in the fight to cure cancer.

Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students and members of the surrounding community gathered on Friday, April 25 with a common goal in mind: to help in the fight to cure cancer.

The event, Relay for Life, was hosted by the UW-SP chapter of Colleges Against Cancer with help from the American Cancer Society. Beginning Friday night and continuing through Saturday morning, the Stevens Point Area Senior High School field house was filled with teams participating in a continuous fund-raising walk. Relay for Life also included many activities to honor survivors, show support for those fighting and remember those who have been lost.

The evening began with opening ceremonies and the first lap by cancer survivors.

“When you come to a Relay and participate in the opening ceremony and survivors’ lap and see the look on everyone’s faces, you know you’ve made a difference.  It is truly the most touching event I’ve ever been a part of,” said Jen Erickson, head of Community Relations for the ACS of Wood and Portage Counties. “You know that your presence, your actions, your fund-raising and your spirit are truly going to benefit others.”

Other ceremonies included the Luminaria, where bags with candles were lit around the track in remembrance of those lost, and a Fight Back ceremony where participants told how they were going to do their part to find a cure for cancer.

“We come to Relay to raise all this money for cancer research, but for the other 364 days a year, most of us do not do anything to fight cancer,” said Kim Beckman, co-president of Colleges Against Cancer. “The Fight Back ceremony was a way to inform people on how they can prevent cancer in their lives and help others become aware of ways to prevent cancer.”

Throughout the night there were many activities to keep participants awake, including a scavenger hunt, root beer pong, the game “Dance Dance Revolution” and what seemed to be the most popular activity, messy Twister. Unlike the usual Twister game, messy twister involved pudding.

“As a participant in messy Twister and someone who helped plan Relay, I had a blast,” said Kayla Schmidt, co-president of Colleges Against Cancer. “The activities were really fun this year. Everybody got really competitive, and it kept people on the track all night long.”

Relay For Life has been a successful fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and has been a benefit to many people who in some way have been touched by cancer.

“Relays bring together individuals, families, businesses and communities for one common cause:  to bring hope to those who are facing cancer and to bring hope that a cure will be found,” said Erickson.

For more information on what you can do visit the Web site www.cancer.org.