Broward Community College’s first Relay for Life started in the early morning light accompanied by high-energy techno-pop music. It ended somberly in the glow of candlelight and the wail of bagpipes. In between, several hundred participants walked, reminisced, reflected, celebrated, enjoyed games, received massages and donated their time, talent and treasure to the fight against cancer.
The inaugural Relay for Life of Colleges and Universities was held lakeside at the Judson A. Samuels South Campus in Pembroke Pines on April 11. The day was a warm one – reflecting the weather conditions as well as memories and fellowship.
“This has been fabulous,” said Teresa Justice, interim provost for the South Campus, as she watched participants gather in preparation for the luminary ceremony near the end of the day’s activities. “I can’t wait ‘til next year.”
The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is a nationwide phenomenon, said Elizabeth Moore, the event’s staff partner from the American Cancer Society. “There are close to 400 Relays for Life in Florida and 24 of them in Broward County. I’m extremely happy. I honestly could not have asked for more from this one; it was absolutely classic. I’d say we’ve had close to 500 participants and we had about 20 survivors. That’s not bad at all for a first-year event.”
Relays for Life are normally 24-hour events, but BCC opted to shorten its first attempt so the college community could learn about the event and its traditions.
“It let everyone know what this is all about,” said Cindy Denkhoff, executive assistant to the vice president for Information Technology, and a Relay for Life veteran volunteer. “Next year, everyone at BCC will be totally ready to relay.”
One of the day’s most exciting events was an old-fashioned scavenger hunt that asked participants to provide a wide variety of items, from pocket lint and dog hair to soccer balls and reading glasses. Three teams tied for most items scavenged, and judges decided a relay foot race would determine the winner. Each team provided four runners who covered a loop of about 220 yards, and the team from Phi Theta Kappa, the national scholastic honorary for two-year colleges, prevailed, earning the gold trophy.
Before the cancer survivors – clad in special purple T-shirts and sashes – began their symbolic lap of the relay course to start the day’s activities, organizers announced that more than $10,000 – a third of the goal for the event – already had been raised. During the race, food, drinks, merchandise and services were made available for donations to the American Cancer Society. A silent auction offered a Florida Panthers game-used hockey stick, several watches, and books donated by faculty authors. Late in the afternoon, a group of student massage therapists from North Campus came to offer chair massages for $1 a minute. Weary walkers purchased $162 of massage.
As darkness fell, several hundred luminaria – white paper bags placed along the lakeside path and illuminated by candles placed within – dotted the entire lakeside pathway, and participants took their final laps around the course in silence, occasionally stopping along the way to read messages and sentiments on them. Some of the messages were written in honor of the memory of loved ones, co-workers and beloved friends, others in celebration of those who faced cancer and survived.
Lourdes Garrido, chair of the BCC District Board of Trustees, served as honorary chair of the event. Justice was the event’s host. Members of the event committee are: Patti Barney, Gracia Bonilla, Bettye Bradshaw, Jimmy Chu, Neil Cohen, Denkhoff, Patrick Ellingham, Lisbeth Isaacs, Camille Keating, Lauren Klein, Katie Levine, Christopher Marshall, Moore, Jennifer Nieves, Rose Ortega and Cynthia Thuma.
Fundraising efforts will continue through the end of June as the committee works to exceed its goal of $30,000.
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