Springfield, Ohio – Every dollar counts in the fight against cancer, and members of Alpha Phi Omega, a newer service fraternity on campus, are helping the American Cancer Society save lives by organizing a Relay For Life for the second-straight year at Wittenberg University. The event will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Earl F. Morris Track at Wittenberg Stadium.
“Alpha Phi Omega, the national co-ed service fraternity, whose Zeta Rho chapter is celebrating its one year of officially being re-chartered on Wittenberg's campus on April 10, is running the Relay, for the second year,” said Grace Bartley, Alpha Phi Omega vice president of service and co-chair of the Relay For Life. Bartley, a senior from Milan, Mich., is double majoring in Spanish and international relations, while also pursuing a minor in history.
A 23-member executive committee has been planning the event with Bartley and co-chair Kathleen Serio '19 from Dublin, Ohio, providing direction and leadership.
"The entirety of the brotherhood has been involved in planning, support, registration and will be there on April 1," Bartley said. "It will be an incredible time, and we're incredibly excited to welcome you all here.”
Scheduled performances include the Wittenberg Singers, the Wittenberg Choir and the Wittmen Crew. There will be opening and closing ceremonies, the luminaria event, a variety of games, and an hour of Zumba. Sports equipment will be available for use.
Thirteen teams are currently registered along with individual participants. Together, they have already raised $3,800 toward a goal of $7,000 after the first public day of registration.
“Our other main goal for the campaign is to educate the Wittenberg community. We want the general student body to know what Relay For Life is all about and how to support it,” Bartley added. “After our first days of informational labeling, it's been a success, financially, registration- wise, and educationally.
The Wittenberg Relay For Life is known as a feeder event for Clark County’s Relay For Life that takes place from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday, June 2, at the Clark County Fairgrounds. The money that Wittenberg raises is tied to this event.
For those wishing to register but without a team identified yet, they can register as an individual or create their own team with a $10 minimum donation, all of which goes to the American Cancer Society. Registration tables are set up in Hollenbeck Hall during lunch hours and at the Benham-Pence Student Center near the Center Dining Room (CDR) during dinner hours for the next two weeks.
For further information regarding the Relay For Life at Wittenberg University, to register, or to donate to participants or teams, visit www.relayforlife.org/wu.
