Relay For Life’s top contributors share their stories
Correction: In a previous version of this article, Todd Long’s involvement with Relay For Life was misstated. Long is a participant in Relay For Life and Casey Runkey is the fundraising chair for the Syracuse University College of Law team. The Daily Orange regrets this error.
Syracuse University’s Relay For Life always has a vast turnout, and this year has been no exception, with nearly 1,500 participants working toward a goal of raising $100,000.
“Participants have raised nearly $60,000 this year, which is just amazing,” said Sara Curtin, this year’s event coordinator. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.
The relay will take place in the Carrier Dome on Friday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Teams will camp out throughout the night and take turns walking around the dome. All cancer survivors take the first lap around the track, called the Survivors Lap.
Teams come together to raise funds with help from sponsors and donors to participate in the relay. Here’s a look at the three individuals who emerged as this year’s top contributors and their stories.
Sara Freund
For Sara Freund, participating in Relay For Life is an annual affair. The senior writing and rhetoric major has been involved for nearly a decade.
“I’ve done Relay For Life since middle school, continued in high school and now college. My parents have always supported and encouraged me to do it,” Freund said.
During the past few years, Freund has been personally affected by cancer within her own family. Not only have both her grandfather and father battled cancer, but her mother was also diagnosed with cervical cancer just two years ago.
“I was witnessing it firsthand with someone that I’m really close to, and it was just that one moment when I realized everything I had been doing was so important,” Freund said.
When Freund came to Syracuse, she realized that Relay For Life was a big part of the philanthropic scene. During her freshman year, she started a team with her sisters in Kappa Alpha Theta. This year, she is acting as the fundraising chair on the executive board.
Freud cites social media and email blasts to family, friends, teachers and other members of the community as a big part of their ploy for fundraising — Freund has raised nearly $1,000.
Todd Long
Todd Long has never participated in Relay For Life, but that did not stop him from raising nearly $1,200 this year for his team.
“My biggest medium for raising money was Facebook. I have a separate page where I’ve invited basically everyone I know for donations,” said Long, a law student.
This isn’t Long’s first time fundraising, though. In 2011, after losing his mother to glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, he and his brother organized an independent run in her memory.
Soliciting donations from family, friends and local businesses for the National Brain Tumor Society, the duo set a fundraising goal of $5,000. In just two months, they managed to accumulate more than $6,000 in funds.
“We called it ‘We Ran the Long Way’ because our last name is Long,” he said. “We did a grassroots campaign via social media and the National Brain Tumor Society website.”
The team is sponsored by Syracuse University’s chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, the largest co-ed professional law fraternity nationwide. The team has raised almost $2,000.
This year, Long plans to wear a weight vest for two hours during the full 12-hour walk as a reminder of the people he’s walking for.
Said Long: “By doing that, it makes donors feel like they’re actually participating by coaxing me ahead.”
Marisa Stark
When Marisa Stark was younger, she would often collect books and winter clothes to donate to kids in need. She has continued her giving ways as a college student, serving as Alpha Xi Delta’s internal philanthropy chair. And, like many others participating this year, Stark has been affected by cancer.
“I feel like almost everyone has been touched by cancer. My family has been, family friends — it’s like that sixth degree of separation, but smaller,” said Stark, a junior advertising major.
The most successful team this year has been Alpha Xi Delta’s, which has raised more than $5,500 in donations. Stark is the driving force behind the efforts, raising more than $2,500 on her own.
“The support we’ve received this year has been amazing. I’m so impressed with all the money we’ve raised,” Stark said.
By simply sending out a note to loved ones about the importance of this year’s event, Stark’s memo was far-reaching. Donations poured in online in a matter of days.
“I’m floored at how unbelievably generous people have been,” Stark said. “Watching that little bar fill up on our page has been unreal.”
Stark said she is excited to be participating in the Luminaria Walk — her favorite part of the relay — by commemorating those who have passed with lanterns.
Said Stark: “It’s a beautiful and emotional event. Everyone is there for each other. It’s great to be a part of.”
Published on April 3, 2014 at 1:00 am
