By Melanie Brittain

Pajama-clad college students trudged out of University of Buffalo’s Alumni Arena with disheveled hair and slumped shoulders at 7 a.m. after a 12-hour cancer fundraising walk.

Approximately 1,000 people came out as Relay for Life kicked off at the Alumni Arena with an overnight walk filled with games, food, fun, remembrance and hope.

Participants brought blankets and pillows to make it through the 12-hour overnight event. Sponsors provided food, games, and music to keep everyone going.

“I came tonight because I lost my mom last year to lung cancer, and I just wanted to support her,” said Chelsea Nicholson, a participant.

For a $10 donation participants were given a white Relay for Life T-shirt. Between the T-shirts and food sales, the event raised $40, 710 for cancer research, according to the American Cancer Society website.

Event planners said the event was designed not only as a fundraiser but also as a way to bring people together who share the common thread of cancer.

“Everyone I know is somehow connected to cancer either personally or through someone they know,” said Danette Wawrzyneic, another participant.

The fundraiser also hosted a Luminaria service, which allowed guests to purchase papery white bags, decorate them with words of encouragement or in memory of someone they lost. The bags were then illuminated with candles along the edge of the walking path.

During the event the lights were turned down and the candles lit while guests walked the path around the arena. Almost everyone was silent. Emotional music played in the background that included, “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

As the night went on, the numbers of participants dropped from about 1,000, to what seemed like a few hundred people. They played games, sang karaoke, and won prizes from the sponsors.

A lot of participants were there just to support each other.

“It’s important to be here for my friend. She lost her mom. I just want her to know we are all here for her,” said Paige Fagan, a Buffalo State College student.

The event ended at 7 a.m. as weary students and participants made their way home.

The American Cancer Society hosts thousands of walks a year at different colleges, high schools and other locations. Teams are formed by community groups, schools, and churches. The walks are usually held at school tracks or indoor gymnasiums.

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