Kayla Yager Organizes Record-breaking Relay for Life event at SUNY Oneonta

2015 Apr 20

Kayla Yager of Grahamsville, NY, helped organize a Relay for Life event at SUNY Oneonta that set records for both participation and fundraising.

Yager, whose major is Biology, helped organize the April 17-18 fundraiser for the American Cancer Society as a member of SUNY Oneonta's Colleges Against Cancer chapter.

More than 1,500 students from SUNY Oneonta and neighboring Hartwick College camped out all night in SUNY Oneonta's Alumni Field House, with team members taking turns walking laps around the gym from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Many teams held fundraising activities in preparation for the event. Throughout the night, walkers were entertained with live music by student ensembles and activities such as water pong, balloon darts, board games, a Kan Jam tournament and a cupcake decorating contest. Participants celebrated cancer survivors during a Survivor's Lap and honored loved ones who lost the fight during a luminaria ceremony. In addition to the student teams, more than 20 SUNY Oneonta faculty and staff, dubbed "Team Mimi," participated in the event.

This was the college's eighth annual Relay for Life. The first, organized by SUNY Oneonta's Division of Education Mentor Community with help from the college's Center for Social Responsibility and Community, raised $65,000. CSRC Director Linda Drake helped the college form a chapter of Colleges Against Cancer, and the student club took over the event, which has raised $45,000-$55,000 each year.

The 2015 Relay for Life set records for both participation and fundraising. "This was a wonderful student-led event," said Drake. "It's always so inspiring to see the students turn into great leaders. I love watching them grow and develop, and I love watching the joy they have when they are able to make such a difference!"

Donations can still be made on the colleges' Relay for Life website.