Ivy Randall ’25, Adele Ciociola ’25, and Will Ware ’26 participated in the Re- lay for Life events, such as the Luminaria Walk and Face-Painting.
The Snyder Center bustled with games, raffles, and student group performances as Andover Relay For Life hosted their fundraising event for cancer research this past Saturday. The occasion was community-based, with students forming teams to walk laps and participate in a student art auction to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Marcela Hernandez ’25, board member and rising co-president of Relay for Life, explained the club’s initiative and detailed what the event embodied. She mentioned the need for empathy in the community as the event celebrates the lives of loved ones affected by cancer.
“Relay for Life is a fundraiser and a community event in which people come and find a community. The money will go to clinical trials and cancer research, [but] the main goal is to remember those who we love and have lost to cancer, [because] many people have families, siblings, or friends that have had cancer and it is important to find those commonalities, to see that you are not alone,” said Hernandez.
Jacob Kaiser ’24, current vice president of Relay for Life, spoke on what the club hoped to achieve, detailing the events lined up for the function and emphasizing the community-building aspect of Relay for Life.
“Throughout the year, Relay for Life has sought to create funds, but tonight, our goal is really to bring people together, to get everyone into Snyder, and to have a good time. The goal tonight is to bring the community together. We’re going to have performances featuring several different groups across campus like our dance groups and our bands. We’re also going to have some sports and games going on, like spike ball, corn hole, and basketball. And then we’re also going to have other wild card events like a Just Dance tournament and possibly a Kahoot, on top of drawing raffle tickets,” said Kaiser.
Emily Wu ’25, who attended both last year’s and this year’s events, commented on why she felt excited to come back for a second year, highlighting new additions to this year’s stations.
“I remember [Relay for Life] being a really fun and heartwarming experience last year and I [wanted] to do it again because it makes me feel at home. This year, I really loved the face painting station. If you had a picture of me right now, I’m painted as Jojo Siwa — I told my friend to do whatever they wanted, and it turned out great,” said Wu.
Anthony Diaz ’25 shared the emotional experience of participating in the relay and what the walk meant for him. He spoke on how coming together as a community to remember and celebrate people who have been affected by cancer was a powerful moment for him and brought his sentiments and best wishes to those people.
“I see a strong sense of community here where people are brought here together for cancer awareness. And what’s very memorable about this event for me is this walk for cancer victims or people who have been affected by cancer — it’s quite momentous, very emotional, and very impactful for a lot of people, me included. I have my sentiments and best wishes for everyone out there,” said Diaz.
Zadie Robinson ’26 emphasized the large spread of offerings at the Relay. She pointed out how Relay for Life spread cancer awareness at Andover while also fostering community bonding through fun activities.
“I was surprised at the amount of activities they had here… I think that there’s a lot of community building here and that’s what I really admire about an event. My grandma had cancer, and I feel like things like this really help bring awareness, especially because there are not a lot of ways on campus to learn more about problems like cancer. And lots of people are here and it seems like a big success, which I love,” said Robinson.
Kaiser closed off by remembering Relay for Life’s cause and its significance to him. He talked about why he commits to leading Relay for Life and how events like this impacts others and himself.
“We’re dedicating time to help contribute to a battle that, at the end of the day, affects many, many lives. I think a lot of people can think of a family member, some kind of loved one, someone with whom they’re related, who was affected severely by cancer. I can certainly think of people like that. And so I think that giving time, energy, money to combat cancer is just very special,” said Kaiser.
