This May, the Granger campus of Ross Medical Education Center hit the pavement for the Relay for Life cancer walk. It was the Granger campus’ first time participating, so the students took the initiative to come together and organize a Ross team for this event. They worked hard beforehand to raise money for cancer research within the community, and then around 20 of the students and their families enjoyed the day with each other and other like minded people from the community.
Relay for Life is an initiative sponsored by the American Cancer Society. It began with just one walker, Dr. Gordy Klatt, in 1985 when he walked and ran a track for 24 straight hours and raised nearly $30,000 for cancer research. It has grown exponentially since that first year and now is the main fundraiser for the American Cancer Society and is held in thousands of communities across 20 countries. (http://relay.acsevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=relay_learn)
The students decided that they wanted to participate in this event in order to show their support to some of their fellow students who have loved ones that are currently battling cancer or have lost someone to cancer. Many of the students knew someone personally or in the community that was battling or had at one time battled cancer. In addition to participating in the walk, the son of one of the Medical Assistant students participated in the flag raising ceremony. Barb Switalksi, Assistant Campus Director of Education, said of the event, “It was a great time for all the students to come together and show their support not only to each other but the community as well. It was a great experience for them and they are already planning on organizing a team for next year.”
To learn more about the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events near you or how you can help to fund cancer research, visit their facebook page or their website at http://www.cancer.org/.