This year, the Blackstone LaunchPad is proud to be a part of Relay for Life, April 25 at Manley Field House. We are asking members of our community to join our team to participate in this year’s Relay for Life, and consider joining the LaunchPad team. You can do that by signing up here, and if you are unable to participate, a small donation to our team’s efforts is always appreciated.
Relay for Life at Syracuse University is a 17-year-old annual event held in the Spring in an effort to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. The funds are used for cancer research, providing wigs to chemo patients, and transport for chemotherapy treatments, among many other anti-cancer initiatives. This year’s event is on April 25th, in Manley Field House, from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m.
The Relay experience begins with pre-event fundraising. Relay for Life at Syracuse University hosts a plethora of on-campus fundraisings such as Krispy Kreme donut sales and trivia nights. Each team participating is encouraged to post on their social media accounts to raise money and awareness.
On the day of the event, teams meet for the opening ceremony, kicking off the event. Syracuse University’s event is always rousing with inflatable activities, local live music, and of course dinner and dessert. The night culminates with a Luminaria Ceremony, where everyone celebrates and remembers those lost in the fight against cancer. All event attendees walk the lantern-lit track to show that they are the light in the darkness. The closing ceremony recognizes the event volunteers, the Syracuse community’s hard work, and the fact that the fight will keep going until the world is free of cancer.
Nick Barba, a Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellow and the Co-Director for Relay for Life at Syracuse University was heartbroken after his grandmother’s death in 2014. Nick knew he couldn’t just stand by after that, he “needed to something about it.”
Barba isn’t alone in his experience with cancer. Nearly every single member of our LaunchPad community had been directly affected by cancer and has experienced first hand how heartbreaking it can be.
Join us. One Night. One Campus. One Hope.