It all began with a beautiful Survivor luncheon. My parents, grandfather, grandmother, and great aunt were all in attendence. Both my grandfather and great aunt are cancer survivors and it was great to be able to share this event with them. We then made our way up to the Health and Physical Fitness Center, the site of this year's event, and awaited the opening ceremonies. With our opening ceremonies, the teams and all other participants line the perimeter of the track as the Survivors start off the opening lap. This is always very emotional for my family and I because we know so many people affected by cancer.

We started off the festivities with a great DJ! Among the many activities we had planned, I really enjoyed the Family Feud tournament...probably because I actually played it with my family. My parents, my friend Becky and I formed a team and won t-shirts out of the deal. Fun times! :o) All of the teams were enthusiastic about the event and really brought the spirit of Relay For Life alive.

My favorites from the Relay include the Luminaria service, the Absolute Attitude Step performance, (which everybody loved by the way!!!) and our random karaoke performance. During some of the later hours, I played a large mix of 80s classics. Kelley Sable and Heather Low, from Enrollment Management, teamed up with Sue Brugh for an improv karaoke session. Let's just say that it was the best time I have ever had. :o) It really got the blood flowing and helped several of us make it through the night.

Overall the event was a smash!! Everybody had nothing but good things to say about it. I even had several students and staff approach me during the event to discuss being on the committee next year!!! That definitely had me smiling. :o) Trust me, smiling is kinda hard to pull off when you've had only 4 hours of sleep in a 40 hour time period. With all of the prep before Relay and the event itself, I didn't get much sleep. (I have caught up on it though...in case you were wondering!)

By the end of the event, we had raised $20,715.00. Wouldn't you say that it was a success?? I definitely thought it was! I would like to thank everybody who came out and supported Relay For Life: the teams, the committee, and especially the survivors. Without the survivors, we wouldn't have an event.

I am looking forward to next year!! Maybe you can be a part of it too!

Laura