June 8, 2009

EVANSTON, Ill. - Members of the Northwestern University athletic community walked alongside a record 750 participants on May 16-17 for the seventh-annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life event.

Much has changed since Wildcat student-athletes first participated in the Relay for Life event at Northwestern University. The event has since been moved from the Lakeside Fields indoors to the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and the number of participants has more than tripled.

Most exciting, however, has been the change in funds raised. Over the past six years, Northwestern's Relay for Life event has grown from raising $38,127 in the inaugural year to bringing in more than $100,000 this time around. Support continues to stream in, as final fundraising totals won't be known until the event officially ends on August 31.

The men's basketball program has raised the second-highest total of any campus group to date, bringing in $9,800.

During the 12-hour event, at least one member of each of the 77 teams present from across campus could be found walking around the elevated indoor track, while other participants had a variety of options to choose from, ranging from basketball games to games of tug-of-war and bean bag toss. The games went on around the giant ring of backpacks and blankets that encircled the gym floor, where other participants could be found playing card games or taking a quick food break before they got back out on the track.

And enjoy themselves all surely did. From 6 p.m. on Friday night to the early morning hours of the following Saturday, athletes and other students alike came together to make the 2009 Relay for Life at Northwestern University another enormous success.

There is still time to contribute to this outstanding cause. To make a donation, please visit here.