By KRIS VENEZIA

STAFF WRITER

Fordham University raised tens of thousands of dollars toward the battle against cancer last Friday in the annual Relay for Life. Michelle Ioannau, FCRH’13, chair of Fordham Relay for Life, said this year’s event could not have been better.

“The biggest success for the event was, hands down, finally reaching our goal of $30,000!” she said. “Fordham’s Relay has been trying for years to hit this number, or even come close, and this is the first year that we finally did it.”

The funds from the event all go to the American Cancer Society, one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world. High schools and universities across the country host the event at their campuses to raise funds and to honor those who have lost their lives to the disease.

Relay for Life consists of students forming into teams, setting a goal and raising money to reach that target. Those who exceed or donate the most receive prizes from the American Cancer Society.

Fordham’s Relay for Life, which takes places in the Fieldhouse, has numerous activities for participants, including inflatable jousting, dance performances and hip-hop performances.

Kristine Mijatovich, FCRH’15, helped raise over $600 with her team of 12. She said she decided to become a part of the event because her sister has cancer.

“My favorite thing about Relay for Life was the community and everybody being supportive,” Mijatovich said.

She also said she had a great time with all of the events that Fordham’s Relay for Life provided.

“I participated in water pong and won a game, so I enjoyed that,” Mijatovich said. “I [also] enjoyed watching people do Zumba.”

Luigino Alosco, GSB’15, became a part of Relay for Life after his girlfriend’s sister got diagnosed with cancer. He said the atmosphere at the event was terrific.

“There were some good performances by the dance team, some hip-hop performances and just a lot of activities,” Alosco said. “But at the end of the day, doing Zumba was my favorite part.”

Ioannau has been a participant of Relay for Life at Fordham for all of her four years. She said the event has grown since she first took part in it.

“Another success this year was the high number of participants we had registered for the event and come to the event,” Ioannau said. “We had over 300 people at our opening ceremony!”

While she said that she is happy with this year’s Fordham Relay for Life, she would like to see some changes in the future.

“We have been in the fieldhouse for the past three years whereas almost every other Relay for Life throughout the world is located outside,” she said. “Additionally, Relay is supposed to be an all-night event to show that cancer never sleeps and neither do we. I would love to one day come back and see a Fordham Relay that is outside and overnight.”

Joe Lynch, FCRH’15, lost his two grandmothers to breast and lung cancer. He said he did Relay for Life at his high school in Connecticut, and one of his favorite parts was staying up late into the night.

“[Having it outside] gave me a chance to do something that you don’t get the opportunity to do every day,” Lynch said. “It creates a fun atmosphere, [and] it adds another aspect that gets you excited about a fundraiser.”

For Ioannau, her favorite part of the event was the Luminaria ceremony, where laterns line the track in memory and support for those who have lost their battle with cancer or are currently battling the disease.

During the ceremony, participants walked the track in silence while a song played and the names of those on the Luminaria bags were displayed for all to see.

“It is such a powerful and moving ceremony,” Ioannau said. “It shows us why we relay.”