Record-breaking Relay

The luminarias shone bright green after the lights dimmed in the Carrier Dome. Thousands silently circled the path lit by the small memorials, the only sounds heard from the once rambunctious group being small cries of grief or sighs. Some walked with each other, hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm. Some stopped to sit together by single luminarias made in memory of loved ones. Each could see the words “hope” and “cure” illuminated in the stands. 

Photo: Jamie De Pould

Design junior Ed Winston (white hard hat) and Andrew Loane, television, radio and film sophomore, build a shack in the Carrier Dome. Winston and Sloane were part of Habitat for Humanity's Relay For Life team.

Though the Luminaria Ceremony lasts for only an hour, it accomplishes exactly what Betsy Guilfoil, Special Events Director at the American Caner Society, believes it should. 

“You can’t just have a sad event,” she said. “But this is a great moment to honor those who have passed, and it’s about giving hope to those who are still fighting,” 

According to Guilfoil, the eighth annual Syracuse University Relay For Life has topped nearly every record. Almost 2,000 participants registered before the events, with over 200 more arriving Saturday evening. When the doors opened at 6 p.m. they had already raised $133,000, putting them $3,000 dollars over the total amount raised last year after the completion of the event. 

The Survivor Lap opened the ceremony. A wave of applause and cheers followed the participating cancer survivors as they made the first trip around Ernie Davis Legends Field. Ellen Moran, a 21-year-old cancer survivor, said it was a great feeling. 

“I didn’t really know how it worked so I just jumped in and started walking with the rest of the survivors,” said Moran, a senior at Le Moyne College. “It was nice to see the group supporting us.” 

Moran has been battling Ewing's sarcoma, a rare cancer, for close to 16 years. This December her cancer will have been in remission for 14 years. She’s spent those 14 years working as a counselor at a camp for children with cancer, passing along the same message of hope and strength she brought to this event, she said. 

“It’s therapy for me and for them,” she said. “To be able to see counselors coming back who are OK now makes me feel like everything is going to be OK.” 

This is Moran’s first Relay for Life, and she planned to stay until the end of the event, at 6 a.m. 

“It’s refreshing to see,” she said of the relay. “It’s not just your family but all these people, they care too.” 

The event continued with live entertainment and food. Multiple booths and sections were also set up throughout the Dome featuring themes like “ManiCURES” or “Learn to break dance” to raise money. Otto even danced around the Dome supporting the cause. 

One thing freshman Samantha Poccia noticed was missing during the events planning was “Locks of Love,” which she quickly rectified. 

“I was a part of the Relay for Life at my high school all four years and ‘Locks of Love’ was always a part of the relay,” Poccia, a communication and rhetorical studies major, said. She made sure it was a part of the SU relay as well, and sat proudly after donating her 10 inches of hair that night. 

Guilfoil said that’s a great example of the attitude shown by all of the students who organized the event. 

“The students here are just great, they don’t miss a beat,” she said. “This is so impressive to me. I come here and think ‘I freaking love my job.’ The fact that college students will give up their night for this is just great.” 

Luminarias adorned the fringes of Ernie Davis Legends Field as a group of cancer survivors took the first lap to kick off the 2010 Relay for Life. Among the group of survivors was long-time Carrier Dome usher Harry Tzivani.    (PHOTO: Jamie De Pould)