Students partied with a purpose for 18 hours Friday night to celebrate the lives of friends and loved ones lost to cancer. Student organizations raised money for the cause and all proceeds went to the American Cancer Society in hopes of finding a cure.
Students joined hands around the track with their candles in hand for a moment of prayer for cancer survivors. The track was lit with candles, and, in the stadium, the word “hope” was spelled out with candles that set the tone for the event.
“Cancer never sleeps and neither will we,” said Joy Williams, 22, a fifth-year pharmacy student from Chicago and chair for Relay for Life.
A live jazz band accompanied the event as students completed a silent lap to honor cancer victims. Williams said she started out as a volunteer for Relay for Life, but became more involved when her mother died of cancer. She then sought a position as survivorship chair, and eventually became FAMU’s membership chair.
“Being chair over such an event is especially close to my heart,” Williams said. “It’s a great cause for everyone whether you have directly been affected or just want to come and volunteer for the cause.”
Ashley Lipscomb, a pre-pharmacy student from Rockledge, Fla., walked for her father, who died of Leukemia. Lipscomb held a cancer awareness week prior to Relay for Life, dedicating each day to a different form of cancer. Students would also wear a different color to represent each cure for cancer. Monday was Leukemia (orange), Tuesday was Ovarian Cancer (teal), Wednesday was Breast Cancer (pink), Thursday was Prostate Cancer( blue) and Friday was a time of healing and celebration.
“I’ve always attended relay for life in high school, but really became an advocate when my father passed,” Lipscomb said.
SGA provided cotton candy, drinks, Italian ice and pizza. There was also had a screen for movies that played throughout the night. Three FAMU organizations were recognized for raising the most funds: Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
For more information: visit Relay for Life .