UFTV

Your University and Community TV Station

uftv

CAC

CAC gears up for Relay for Life

by

By: Cory Berlekamp
Twitter: @Cberlekamp
Email: berlekampc@findlay.edu

Relay for Life is coming up in March at the University of Findlay and the Colleges Against Cancer group is already gearing up to make this event their most successful one yet.

The CAC has hosted the event for the last 10 years and has made it their mission to reach goals every event. Along with reaching their goals, each year they have set the bar higher for funds reached and people in attendance. Jenn Darling, a senior at the University of Findlay and president of the CAC, was very grateful to see a rise in participation at the University’s Relay for Life event.

“It actually started out in the AMU and they walked the halls,” said Darling. “Now we are in the indoor track with over 600 participants which is awesome. It’s just amazing the support we have.”

Relay for Life started in 1985 when Dr. Gordy Klatt wished to raise money for his local charity in Washington. Klatt did so by walking around a track, effectively raising awareness and $27,000. Since then, Relay for Life has become one of the biggest charity events in the world.

“Relay for Life symbolizes cancer does not stop so neither do we, so we try to suggest that every team has someone walking throughout the day to resemble this,” Darling said.

This year’s event is on Saturday, March 24 starting at 1 p.m. and will be held at the Koehler Fitness Center. It is an open invitation for anyone who would like to attend the event. If interested, people must register themselves or a team on the Relay for Life website.

“We invite all of the students if in their life they had someone effected by cancer,” said Darling. “Everyone can come, they just have to register a team and family, friends and kids are welcome to come.”

The event lasts around six hours and begins with a lap honoring those who have survived their battle with cancer. It ends with a ceremony and a luminaria for all those who lost their fight.

“It’s a really emotional moment seeing the survivors, they fought to walk, that is their moment to shine,” said Darling. “The luminaria is also very emotional. Each one resembles someone who fought cancer. We turn down the lights and we take a moment and reflect on our time and memories to honor those who have lost their battle, those that continue, and those that have won.”

Last year, the CAC raised $37,000 with their Relay for Life event, an increase from the $33,000 raised the previous year. The success of the group has not gone unnoticed by the American Cancer Society as this year they were awarded with the Nationwide Mission Integration Award. Their community partner, Allison Boesel, submitted their group to be recognized by the American Cancer Society.

“We put a lot of heart and sweat into this and it is really good to see our hard work paying off especially with this award,” said Darling. “We really focus on our mission moment at every meeting and we really want to share the word of awareness and prevention.”

The next Colleges Against Cancer meeting is on Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Rosewood room. If anyone is interested in joining the group they can email Jen Darling at darling@findlay.edu or stop by the health center where they will provide information on the CAC.

CAC hosts annual dodgeball tournament

by

By: Cory William Berlekamp
Twitter: @cberlekamp
Email: coryberlekamp1@gmail.com

Balls flew in the FRC at the University of Findlay on the evening of Nov. 9 to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.

The Colleges Against Cancer club on campus hosted their annual “Protect Your Balls” dodgeball tournament last Thursday to help promote awareness of testicular cancer. Three teams participated in the tournament raising $90 for the Student Government Association funded event.

President of the CAC and Senior at the University of Findlay, Jen Darling, is the founder of the event.

“It is known that men try to belittle their health problems,” said Darling. “This is a month for awareness with this event being more focused on testicular cancer.”

Coming out to participate were the wrestlers as “The Roughnecks,” medical students as “The Testicular Torsions,” and the Oilers Changing Campus Culture sponsored group as “The Blue Ballers.” With a decreased number of participants this year, the single elimination style tournament had to be changed to accommodate the three teams playing. Darling was not sure why the turnout was lower than what they have seen in the past.

“I’m kind of disappointed because I was the founder of “Protect Your Balls” dodgeball tournament,” Darling said. “Student participation has really gone down this past year, we don’t really know why.”

Regardless of the turnout, the teams came to play and the tournament was nothing short of competitive. The tournament was played as a round robin where the teams played best of three against each other in the first round. The two losing teams then battled for their spot in the championship round.

The med students were the first team to get knocked out leaving the wrestlers and the OC3 team to play best of five in the championship. In the previous years, the wrestlers have dominated taking first place the past two tournaments. After going back and forth with the OC3 though, their reign finally came to an end after game five.
“Feels great to dethrone them,” Logan Cox, president of the OC3 said. “Forcing to game five, two to two winner takes all, nothing like winning a gift card.”

Along with their pride, each player on the winning team took home a $20 gift card to Ralphie’s restaurant. The restaurant is currently closed due to damages from last week’s wind storm. “Hopefully they reopen soon,” Cox said as the teams congratulated each other in good sportsmanship.

Although the tournament was a fun experience, its purpose is very important to the CAC and its president. Along with raising funds for the American Cancer Society, the CAC’s other main goal is to raise awareness. “Our goal on campus is to promote awareness for different types of cancer,” Darling said. “Prevention is the best key to lower your risk factors for different kinds of cancers.”

The next event CAC is putting on is Relay for Life in March. Darling is excited and hopeful that participation for that event will be higher than the dodgeball tournament.

“You walk around the track all day and raise money for the American Cancer Society,” Darling said. “You keep walking to resemble that cancer never stops so neither do we.”