400 People to Walk for 10 hours to Raise Funds for Research, Patient Services
04/21/2016
Media contacts: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
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Friday, April 22, 6 p.m.
What: Approximately 400 students and members of the community will participate in the Relay for Life, presented by the UMass Lowell chapter of Colleges Against Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
The relay consists of a 10-hour period when at least one member of the participating teams will be walking to raise money for cancer research and services for those battling the disease. The event, which begins at 6 p.m. on Friday and ends at 4 a.m. on Saturday, kicks off with an opening ceremony and victory lap by cancer survivors and their caregivers. At approximately 11 p.m., participants will remember those who have lost their fight against the disease with a luminaria ceremony.
The event is co-chaired by two UMass Lowell nursing majors, Erin Murphy, a junior from Waltham, and Jenna Farrell, a senior from Chelmsford who has been participating in Relay for Life events annually since she was in middle school.
At the event, walkers will circle the elevated indoor track at UMass Lowell’s Campus Recreation Center, which overlooks basketball courts below where everything one needs for a great birthday party – an inflatable bounce-house, games, popcorn, cotton candy and more – will be set up. It’s all inspired by the event theme of “Less Cancer, More Birthdays.”
Proceeds will support the American Cancer Society’s work on behalf of cancer research, which includes awarding 83 grants totaling more than $39 million in Massachusetts so far this year. Funds raised will also go to the organization’s wide range of services for patients and their families, including Hope Lodges, which offer a free place to stay to those who travel to receive treatment at major hospitals around the U.S.; the “Road to Recovery” program that provides patients with transportation to medical appointments; and “Reach for Recovery,” which pairs breast cancer survivors with the newly diagnosed to provide support.
Where: UMass Lowell Campus Recreation Center, East Campus, 292 Aiken St., Lowell.