Relay for Life Raises Cash, Hope for Cure

By Jillian Pfund

RVCC's annual Relay for Life was certainly full of life.  

Kids were dancing, playing ball and enjoying balloon animals and face paint.  Fringe Benefits, the belly dancer group, entertained the crowd by dancing to various music genres including pop song Sexy Back, by Justin Timberlake.  Excited teams were all smiles as they waited for their personal team walk around the track (announced over a loud speaker) and continued to fundraise all night long, selling all sorts of goods and services from lollipops to psychic readings.  

According to Jana Blimline, a staff partner from the American Cancer Society, RVCC is the only New Jersey community college to hold a Relay for Life.  And we're doing a “kick ass” job with it, too, she said.

 The teams raised $25,000 before the event even began.  Participants had also bought almost 200 luminarias online beforehand and continued to buy more at the event before the ceremony at 9 pm.  The luminarias were set up around the perimeter and helped illuminate the track for the teams as they walked.

 The Shining Stars, made up mostly of RVCC staff members and some students, was extremely joyful.  Currently in first place (third place last year) with almost $6,000, the Shining Stars participate in Relay for Life to honor a colleague who passed away from breast cancer. 

 Co-captain Darlene Pickerell said, "Everybody on the team knows someone with cancer."

 Pickerell's mother, a survivor of cancer, attended the survivor dinner held towards the beginning of the night.  Small gifts, including pins that sport the words 'hope' and 'cure' were given out as tokens of appreciation.  

In the end, "It's not about which team raised the most or where they placed.  It's about all teams contributing to this event and helping to fight cancer," Pickerell said. "As we were counting money the night of the Relay, Jana held up a dollar and said ‘this could be the dollar that finds the cure.’  We all made a difference."